Fear of the Light
by Tsukiko no Yuki
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke, a feared psychopath, has already made 6 psychiatrists join him in the darkness. Can Haruno Sakura, top notch psychiatrist with amnesia, help him, or will she, too, be lured into his trap? [SasuSaku][AU]
1. Help

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter I: Help**

"AAAARGH! GRAARH! WAAH! DARKNESS FALLS UPON US ALL! DARKNESS SURROUNDS US! DARKNESS… DARKNESS!"

The mad man grasped the bars of the little window he could see through from the room he had been locked into. Two bypassing nurses looked at the man and started to whisper.

"That is the work of the Uchiha, right?"

"Yes… the latest psychiatrist…"

"I can't still fully understand why they're trying to revive his long gone senses."

"They say the _boss _used to be his best friend in high school…"

"The boss? No way! Best friends… with _Uchiha_?"

"The one with the rumored past…"

"The one with the brother who's a murderer…"

A pair of obsidian eyes glared at the chitchatting women before his lips curled into a sinister, crazed smirk. "You're going down next…"

* * *

"Why her?"

"It's a terrific choice. Either way, we win."

"How?"

"If she does succeed, the boss will be pleased. He'll of course promote you, instantly, for finding such a wonderful psychiatrist. And he'll advertise for my clinic, for helping you in the process."

"And if she does not?"

"Well… our clinic becomes one of Japan's top ten best, since we're eleventh place, and if she stops being a psychiatrist, causing that little pathetic clinic of hers' demise. And you don't have to worry about anything, because then you can just say that you were against the entire idea in the first place. My clinic doesn't get affected either, since I did nothing but make a suggestion."

Frown. "The boss will not be pleased."

"Why not? She's a fantastic psychiatrist, for sure."

"There's another problem."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"He used to know her. Or that's what I've been told. He didn't want to 'cause her pain'. I don't quite understand what that's supposed to mean, but…"

"So what if she's his ex-girlfriend? We'll succeed for sure. Together, we shall cause the downfall of Haruno Sakura!"

* * *

"B-b-b-but then he ch-cheated on me!" The woman burst in tears. Sakura looked calmly and sympathetically at her.

"He cheated on you because he's trying to find love. You may not have given him the attention he needed. Have you?"

"Well…" The woman hesitated. "No… but I've been awfully busy at work. He knows that."

"Yes, of course he does. He can probably understand you, but… how long have you been busy?"

"For… for half a year," she responded cautiously.

"Yeah. Don't you think that you should give him some attention? Don't you think that you kind of deserve this? Sorry, but don't think of it as a punishment. More as a… alert."

"An _alert_?" The woman looked at Sakura suspiciously. "You think that accepting that somebody has cheated on you is that easy, huh?!"

Sakura didn't answer. Then, "… No. I know it's difficult. But it's a sign. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Being a psychiatrist means that you're trying to find that reason and make things good again, so bad signs won't appear again."

"How're things going to get good after this? Our relationship is broken!"

"By what standards?" Sakura questioned. "It's broken if you consider it broken, of course. If you don't even try to fill the gaps that have appeared in your relationship, how do you know if it _can _recover or not?"

"So you mean… that if I just give him his attention…"

"Yes. Humans say that they grow. From infants to children, from children to youths, from youths to adults, and finally from adults to elders. But what seems to be hard to understand for many is that you don't _forget _what has happened in your previous phases. With other words, when you grow from one phase to another, you won't be able to clear your past entirely. It will still leave _traces_… like foot prints in the snow. But you still have it in you, deep inside. The childish you. And besides, with his messy childhood, it's natural that his reactions are more childish than intended. When he doesn't get the attention he desperately seeks, he searches for a new source of attention, for a _replacement. _It's a psychological instinct."

"I didn't understand that."

Sakura laughed. "Well, more easily expressed, he hasn't stopped loving you. He was looking for a replacement, to fill in the gap you had left, the gap you hadn't cared to fill. It's an instinct, so you can't blame him for doing so."

"So I should just be with him some more, and everything will be okay."

"Yeah, don't get mad too easily. Give him the attention he wants, but not too much, and not too little. Everything will be okay in the end. Haven't you heard that expression, 'everything's alright in the end… if it isn't alright, it isn't the end'?"

The woman smiled. "Thanks, Haruno-san."

"No problem."

Sakura heaved a sigh as the woman exited her office with a goodbye. Suddenly, somebody clapping their hands could be heard as someone else stepped through the door; looking up from the documents messily spread on her desk, Sakura found a too familiar pale-skinned, black-haired man.

"Nice job as always, ugly. Had the little 'everything's alright in the end' speech again, huh?"

A vein popped on Sakura's temple. "Sai…"

"For talking to people everyday about controlling your temper, you sure have some problems yourself. Why don't _you _go see a psychiatrist?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Sakura laughed sarcastically. "What're you doing here anyway? I thought you had _work _to do, Mr. I'm-Too-Busy-To-Go-See-A-Movie-With-You?"

"Well, excuse me for having a parent-teacher conference. It's not my fault that almost 50 percent of all the students I have flunk art, however impossible it seems."

"Parent-teacher conference, _again_? Don't tell me you asked one of those single moms out? I feel so sorry for them. Like it wasn't enough with one problematic kid, now they had to deal with _two_."

"Of course I didn't ask them out. I think it's the other way around." Sakura rolled her eyes at this. "And by the way, why do you wonder? Jealous?"

A faint tint of pink appeared on her cheeks as she threw a piece of crumpled paper at her friend. "No! Why would I be?"

"Because I'm so hot and have a full-sized penis, compared with some of your other non-existent male friends?"

Another piece of crumpled paper flying his way, but Sai ducked easily, used to Sakura's attacks. "You're so childish, Sai. Maybe you're hanging around too much with the kids, after all… and don't you dare insult Neji-kun! He's a lot more mature than you!"

"Neji?" Sai smiled goofily. "Who talked about Neji? And don't you have any other male friends… for instance, _Lee-san_?"

"I-I just assumed y-you were talking about N-Neji-kun b-b-b-because…"

"Because?" Sai repeated with a raised eyebrow, teasingly.

"Well, you're teasing me about him all the time!" Sakura's cheeks were on fire by now. "He's just a friend!"

"Oh, _really_." Sai rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, _really _–"

"Sakura," a voice interrupted them as a new man stepped into the office, with long, brown-black hair and pearl-colored eyes.

An amused grin twitched in Sai's lips as Sakura looked almost faint by now. "Err… yes, Neji-kun?"

"New job."

"What?" Sakura's faintness disappeared.

"The boss informed me. You're getting moved."

"Moved? Where?"

"To the psych ward. They need emergency help. It's a temporary job."

"Oh…" Sakura smiled softly. "Who's the patient?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

The name continued to echo in her mind as the pink-haired woman proceeded on her way home alone, after having said goodbye to Sai. It felt so oddly familiar… yet so distant.

_Like a ripple among thousand others that the sea is trying to recognize…_

Sakura laughed for herself. _Philosophy? Where did I get the sea part from?_

A scene appeared in her mind. Sunset. The sound of the waves softly crashing to the shore. Two children sitting on the beach… a pink-haired girl…

… and a dark-haired boy…

"Hey, Forehead Girl!"

Spinning around, Sakura stood face to face with a blue-eyed woman with her soft, blonde hair collected in a neat ponytail. "Oh. Hi, Ino."

"_Hi_? _Hi_??!?!?! Is that what you say to your defense when you've just abandoned somebody?" Ino's eyes flashed with fury, flames set ablaze in the background as she towered over her friend.

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"Yeah! You just abandoned me right there, with _Shikamaru _of all people! That boring _teacher_! Geez!"

"Oh… that…" Sakura grinned. "But he's not that bad, you know."

"_Not that bad_? Oh, please, Sakura, what do you expect of someone whose main hobby is watching _clouds_? Er, hello! It's okay to watch clouds when you're trying to get a suntan, but otherwise…"

"Don't complain so much, Ino. At least I got you a date –"

"A DATE? WITH HIM?!" Ino heaved a sigh. "Geez, sometimes I really don't know how you think, Sakura. And what was with that laugh a while ago?"

"Well… I'm getting moved."

"WHAT?!" Ino stared at her in disbelief. "NO WAY! Sakura, you're staying _here_! Konoha is the best place ever! You can't leave it –"

"Take it easy, Ino, I'm just getting moved to the other side of the city… you know _Spirit of the Sakura_, right?"

"Oh. Right."

Silence. Then… "WHAT? _SPIRIT OF THE SAKURA_? ARE YOU CRAZY? THAT'S THE PSYCH WARD!"

"Yeah, I know! But it's just a temporary job, and I'm getting loads of money. Besides, they say it's an emergency."

"Of course it's an emergency! Oh my god, Sakura, you might get killed or something! The people in there are dangerous, I mean, there's a reason why they have _electrical fence _around that place!"

"Yeah, but… I really want to help. If they think I'm capable to do it…"

"But what if you aren't? What if everything goes wrong? You might get killed, Sakura!" Ino stared at her, bewildered.

"Don't worry, Ino. Being a psychiatrist is a hard job. But it's good to help others."

"Sakura…" Ino sounded desperate now. "I mean, I know you've always wanted to help others, but…"

"Ino." Sakura's voice was firm when she interrupted her friend. "_I _could've ended up there. Do you remember how I was like seven years ago?"

"Yes," Ino said quietly. "You didn't… _remember_…"

"Yeah. And Tsunade-sama helped me. She helped me out of the darkness. Out of the darkness of being alone… of not knowing anyone… of not knowing even _myself_…"

"I know."

"What if it's the same with them? With those people in there? What if they were like me, maybe just a bit different, but also lost in life? I want to help them, Ino. I want to help them… even if it has to cost me my life."

"Yeah…"

"But about the Shikamaru thing. I'll find you a new date, okay?" Sakura grinned.

"Okay. Sure."

"See ya!"

"Later."

Ino stared at the retreating back of her friend, shook her head and then mumbled: "But _he_ is there…"

* * *

So, the first chapter's done! What do you guys think? I just got this idea in the middle of the night (don't ask) and just started writing the day after. I've no idea where I got the inspiration, it just kind of appeared, like some kind of... I don't know, light. Or maybe it was the snow. It was kind of dark and light at the same time. That's when it kind of struck me, I guess...

Either way, I should stop ranting. And PLEASE REVIEW:D


	2. Color of Thousand Cherry Petals

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Chapter II: The Color of a Thousand Cherry Petals**

"_Geez. Do I always have to protect you?"_

"_I, too. I mean… I am always here with you. If you… need me, that is."_

"_Let. Go. Of. Her. I'm gonna fuckin' kill you if you don't."_

She awoke. Sitting up in her bed, she felt herself breathing heavily, as she glanced at the alarm clock.

3:00 a.m.

Sighing, she leaned back in her bed. _Again._

Another one of those strange dreams. She didn't even know if they were considered nightmares or not.

"Why now?" she muttered. _I haven't had those for several years. And now... the most recent days, I've been having them all over again. They don't make sense, either. Just sentences… voices… and I can't remember them after the dream is over._

"Your past," she remembered Tsunade, the owner of the clinic, saying when she had them several years ago. "It's your past haunting you. It's the memories you don't want to forget. Or rather, the memories that don't want you to forget."

_The memories that I don't want to forget…_

She closed her eyes. _What memories would that be?_

* * *

"Again?"

Sai raised an eyebrow questioningly as response as Sakura, with a troubled face expression, slowly chewed on the noodles in her mouth. Swallowing, she quietly said: "Yes."

"Geez." Sai sighed. "You haven't had those for years."

"Yeah, I know." Sakura looked up at her friend. "What if… what if they're warning me?"

"Warning you? Of what?"

"Of… something in my past that's going to reappear. I don't know. It's just that… haunting feeling…"

He frowned. "Ugly, you're spending too much of your free time watching TV."

Annoyed, Sakura replied: "No, I'm not! And besides, I'm just guessing. It's just that I have this weird feeling."

Another sigh, as Sai put down his glass of water. "Maybe it's destiny."

Blink. "What?"

"Yeah, you know. Maybe it's kind of like you're saying. Maybe it's destiny giving you a sign that something's going to happen…"

Sakura listened attentively. Sai's lips cracked into a smile.

"… or it's you dreaming weird dreams after having watched _Spirited Away _for the fifty-eleventh time."

Sai dodged effectively as a can of Coke was about to hit his still smiling face.

* * *

"Sakura-san!" 

Twirling around, Sakura faced her widely grinning colleague, Rock Lee. She smiled warmly. "Hi, Lee-san."

"I heard rumors that you were being moved. But I knew it wasn't true! But I've bought a bouquet anyway!" Bending down on one knee, Lee blushed a little as he pulled a gigantic bouquet of colorful flowers out of nowhere.

"Wow, thanks!" Sakura beamed as she took the bouquet. "But actually – sorry, Lee – it's true, I'm being moved. I'm just here to collect some stuff. But I still work here, though, it's just that I'm temporarily moved to _Spirit of the Sakura_."

"The psych ward?" Lee looked worried as he arose again. "I'll ask to be moved, too! I'll protect you from the evil that threatens to destroy the spring of the youth!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "No, it's okay, Lee. I'm just going to take care of one patient, and I can do it alone. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"But Sakura-san…"

"I'll come and visit you guys. Okay?"

"Good! I'll visit you too." Lee made a special pose where he stretched out one of his arms with the thumb pointing upwards, as his teeth sparkled. "Believe it!"

"Okay." Sakura smiled. "Thanks for the flowers, Lee. I'll see you around!"

"Yes! Bye, Sakura-san, and remember to call me if you need help!"

"I will," she shouted as she walked into her office. A man standing there looked up, and Sakura flushed. "H-hi, Neji-kun!"

"Oh… Sakura. Hi." Blank expression as always, Sakura noted. "Tsunade asked me to assemble the papers for you. You're here to collect them, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

Silence. Sakura cursed herself for her inability to say something to break the awkwardness. "So, uh, Neji-kun, how's it going? With the appointments, I mean."

"Good."

"… That's… good."

"…."

The door was slammed open unexpectedly as a woman with her hair in two buns tripped on the threshold, and only managed to gain her composure to look at the surprised Sakura and the bored Neji. "Neji! THERE YOU ARE! Hi, Sakura!"

"Tenten! Good to see you again." Sakura grinned. "Where've you been?"

"Everywhere," Tenten sighed. "God, that vacation was fabulous. I really needed it. After Gaara, I seriously needed a break. He totally exhausted me."

"Yeah, but it's great that he's fine now." Sakura remembered the red-head with the stern face expression, and his crazed whispers of blood-thirst. Just the memories sent shivers down her spine; but now his mental condition was healthy again, and he had become shy and yet dominant in some quiet way.

"I know." Tenten glanced at the piles of files neatly placed on Sakura's desk. "I heard you were getting moved to the psych ward. Are you really sure, Sakura?"

"Yeah." Sakura looked at her determinedly. "I got this job because I wanted to help people. Saying no to helping someone is just unacceptable."

"… I guess." Tenten beamed. "Well, good luck!"

"Thanks!" Sakura put the files in her bag. "Well, I'm off again. Bye, Neji-kun! Bye, Tenten! I'll see you guys soon!"

"Bye!" Tenten cheerfully waved as Sakura disappeared out of sight. Then Tenten turned to Neji. "… You didn't tell her, did you?"

Neji shook his head. "I don't think she _wants _to know."

* * *

"WHAT?!" The fist of the aggravated blonde slammed onto the desk. 

"Well, Uzumaki-san… she's very talented," the man answered unsurely. "I thought you'd be happy… Haruno is the perfect choice. Nothing like the previous psychiatrists."

"Why you…," he hissed through gritted teeth. "You knew, didn't you?"

Pause. "No."

He sighed, clearly irritated. "Have you already contacted her?"

"Yes. She's on her way here."

"… Fine. You may leave."

"Yes, Uzumaki-san." The man bowed as he headed out the door, as a woman with long, dark-blue hair and pearly eyes entered the room with a concerned face expression.

"Is anything wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Nothing, Hinata-chan…" Naruto ran a hand through his hair with another troubled sigh. "Sakura-chan is on her way here…"

Hinata's eyes widened. "Sakura-san?"

"Yeah."

"… Naruto-kun…" Hinata looked pitifully at him. "Do you want ramen for dinner?"

He smiled tiredly. "That'd be great, thanks."

* * *

Giving the taxi driver the payment for the ride, she stepped out of the car, and looked at the building in front of her.

It was so grey. So _gloomy_.

So dark.

But around the building stood at least twenty cherry trees planted. And they were in full bloom.

She smiled. _That's a good sign.  
_

"What's this I hear about a new psychiatrist?"

His eyes looked into the nurse's. She gulped, taken aback by the sudden eye contact.

"Sh-she's coming t-today," she stuttered. "I-in just a f-few minutes."

"In a few minutes? And it's a _she_?" He smirked. "Now this is interesting… what's her name?"

"Her name is…"

"Haruno Sakura, was it?"

He looked so serious. But then again, he was the boss of the psych ward. You _had _to be serious here. Sakura decided to ignore the agonized screams that could be heard within the rooms.

"Yeah." She smiled brightly. "And you must be Uzumaki Naruto-san! Pleased to meet you."

"You can just call me Naruto." A smile tugged at his lips. But it disappeared as he was seemingly reminded of where they were. "… You're going to tend Uchiha Sasuke. Have you been warned of his condition?"

"Yes!" she said cheerfully. "He's 'lost in darkness', as stated in the report, right?"

"Right…" He sighed. "And also, another thing."

"Yes?"

"Don't say your name is Sakura."

She blinked, surprised. "Why?"

"It's complicated. We've currently informed him your name is Atsuino Izumi." **(A/N: Which means 'warm spring'.)**

"Okay." She smiled. "May I proceed?" 

* * *

He heard footsteps. Then, they stopped. In front of his door. He smirked. _A new victim. And a female. How interesting._

Then his door opened…

* * *

The first impression she had of the room was just as the building. Grey, gloomy and most of all, _dark. _Then she saw him.

He stared at her. Even in the darkness, he could clearly see the colors. _Pink…_

"… like thousand cherry petals…"

It was a mere whisper. A hoarse one, too. Sakura snapped out of her trance as she stared into the obsidian eyes that clearly seemed to look at her hair.

But he seemed so… _familiar_.

"Oh, you mean my hair?" she laughed. "Hi. My name is Atsuino Izumi."

"Warm spring?" He chuckled… but it had no _warmth_. She winced at how cold he was, even compared with some of the patients she had dealt with before. "… Suits you."

"Thanks." She smiled broadly. "Do you like spring?"

"…." At first, no reply came. Then, "No."

"Really? Why not? Spring's beautiful, you know," she went on, as she sat down in the chair opposite his bed, on which he was seated.

"It's insignificant," came the reply. The menace in his eyes almost frightened her, but Sakura warned herself not to lose her composure. "It's nothing but a beginning of a year that will result in winter. Spring doesn't last. Soon, the summer will come, and after that, autumn and winter. In fact, the biggest part of the year consists of cold and darkness. Just like this place."

She cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "What do you mean, Uchiha-san?"

"It's a dark place. A place filled with despair. But to cover it up, they give it a nice name and they plant _Sakura trees _all over the place." He snorted. "Pathetic. Once you've entered this building, you'll know what true darkness is…"

Sakura silenced. "You don't like it here, do you?"

"Who would? They send a bunch of psychiatrists to me, thinking they'll make it better. They talk to me like I'm a little child, thinking I understand nothing. Bullshit. Being a psycho doesn't equal dumb."

_He knows he's mentally disturbed?_ "So, Uchiha-san… what have the previous psychiatrists told you?"

"Che. Nothing but the same bullshit as every other psychiatrist says. If I just cooperate, I'll be able to see light. I'll be able to get out of this darkness. Fools. There is no light." His eyes pierced into hers. "You're going to tell me the same, aren't you?"

"Well… uh…" She was taken aback by the question; she had planned to do that, but clearly it didn't seem to work. "… I'm not quite sure as of yet. But if it disturbs you, I guess I won't say the same." She smiled. "Could you tell me about the darkness, please?"

He smirked. Again, with only icy emotion displayed in it, Sakura began to wonder if all the patients here were like this… either crazed or colder than ice. "There's no need to. Soon enough, you'll see for yourself."

Just then, somebody opened the door. "Atsuino-san? You've got a phone call."

"Can't it wait?" Sakura asked, furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance.

"Clearly not. The caller said it was an emergency." The woman who was standing on the threshold looked terrified as Sasuke averted his gaze to her.

"Oh." Sakura smiled warmly at the human replica of a block of ice in front of her. "Well, I'll be coming back, Uchiha-san. It was very nice to meet you. Bye."

With those words, she exited the room and started to follow the woman. Suddenly, her head started to ache badly. "Ah…!"

"_I never want to forget – _

_- the days I spend with you –_

_- because when I'm with you –_

_- I'm the happiest, Sa --!"_

The woman stopped in her tracks, and turning around, she looked worriedly at the pink-haired psychiatrist. "Are you alright, miss?"

"No… I'm fine…," Sakura retorted weakly. _What was that just now? That voice…_

"Are you sure?"

"No, it's just my head aching. I'm fine," Sakura reassured her as they started walking again.

… _was it mine…?_

* * *

Aaand... the second chapter's out! -makes a ta-dah! pose- What did you guys think? I'm still stuck on the fifth chapter, though... -mutters- By the way, it's completely off-topic, but The Sims 2 Seasons are out! I wonder if it's good or not; I'm considering buying it, since I'm starting to use my old habits of playing The Sims 2 when I'm bored again. (Blame my dear friend Lila, and if you're reading this my little matvraksfriend (Swenglish XD; matvrak in Swedish somebody who eats a lot and gets hungry all the time, a.k.a. foodaholic), don't you dare laugh because otherwise, NO FOOD FOR YOU next time you come here:D)

* * *

_**Reviews Corner**_

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**waterkunoichi **(We'll see about the ShikaIno, this is mostly SasuSaku centered, but I'll try ;) Thanks anyway!)

**Chartreuse Green **(Thanks ;))

**-Out-of-Inspiration- **(Yeah, I know it isn't the average SasuSaku story, that's exactly why I wanted to write it, because it's kind of bizarre and unique :D Thanks anyway ;D)

**mustlovenaruto **(Thank you!)

**Ohohen **(He isn't, she's just crushing on him ;P And thanks:D)

**icygirl2 **(Their identities will be unknown... lawl, to be truthful, I haven't really decided yet. I kind of thought of... never mind, maybe I'll decide on that and then it'd be a spoiler :P You'll just have to wait and see, mwahah -smiles evilly- Thanks anyway!)

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**Next update is coming March 10th :) Thanks for the reviews and keep reviewing, please!**


	3. Illusion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I had done, I'd have forced Kishi to become my slave, make SasuSaku canon and TELL US WHETHER OR NOT SASUKE FRICKIN' WON. **

* * *

Chapter 3: Illusion

"_I promise –_

_- I won't leave you –_

_- when you need me, I'm there –_

_- so even if the winter takes away the cherry blossom –_

_- it always comes back in the spring, Sa --!"_

She jerked awake.

It had become a routine by now. Dreaming those strange dreams, then waking up, forgetting about everything that happened in the dream. _But…_

She closed her eyes.

… _I can still feel it, somehow… the **warmth**…_

… _the familiar warmth the dream radiated…

* * *

"Oi, dobe."_

The familiar insult stopped Naruto in his tracks. The blonde turned his sapphire eyes towards the isolated room, with only the little window open to let the prisoner gaze out. _Not that there's much to see_, he thought darkly.

"… Sasuke." It was a statement, as to show that he listened.

"You saw her, right?"

"Who do you mean?" It was an unnecessary question. Both knew who Sasuke was speaking of.

"_Her_."

"I still don't get it."

"The new psychiatrist. Atsuino Izumi…"

"Aa."

"Is it _her_?"

"…"

"Don't pretend as you don't know, dobe," he hissed with a malicious smirk on his lips.

"It's not," Naruto's voice replied.

"You're lying."

Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's. They were uncharacteristically cold.

"Believe what you want," he remarked, before walking off.

* * *

"Good morning, Uchiha-san!"

He let his closed eyelids lazily open at the entrance of the pink-haired woman. She looked so _enthusiastic_.

Somehow, that thought made him discomforted.

Wait, Uchiha Sasuke, discomforted?

_Che_.

"What was it yesterday?" he interrupted her babbling about what a lovely day it was. She gave him a wondering stare in return. "The phone call."

Her happy façade faded away.

"Oh. That," she muttered. "It was nothing, actually."

_Just my stupid, not-caring-but-let's-pretend-she-is mother._

_It's not like she cared anyway. In reality, she only wanted to sound like a good mother.  
_

**Flashback.**

"_H-hello?" Sakura's voice was still unstable after the sudden headache; and what came next just made the pain worse._

"_Sakura, er, **darling**? How're you?"_

_Sakura stiffened. "Oh… hi, mom. I'm fine. Why?"_

"_No, well, I just kind of figured… I haven't called you for a while, have I?" She laughed nervously. "Not since… well, you know."_

_Not since the accident._

"_Yeah." Sakura's voice was cold and dry as she responded. "So why are you calling now, all of a sudden?"_

"_Well, I was informed by Tsu… wait, what's her name again? The one who helped you. The psychiatrist…"_

"_Tsunade-sama," Sakura supplied._

"_Yeah, that you've got a new job at… the psych ward. Congratulations." But her voice didn't sound like a sincerely happy one._

"_Thanks."_

"_Does it pay much?"_

"_Well, yeah."_

"_I was wondering… well, you know, Sakura, marriage has never properly worked for me."_

"_Mm." Of course I do. You've been remarried **five **times since dad, and you've not invited me or even informed me even **once**._

"_I've finally found the love of my life." Pause. "Problem is, we can't really afford a wedding… so, Sakura, I was wondering if you could le –"_

_Beep._

_Sakura had already ended the phone call._

**End Flashback.**

"Well… anyway…" She faked a smile. "It's so sunny outside, Uchiha-san. It's wonderful! Maybe I should ask Uzumaki-san if I could just take you out sometime and see the sunlight –"

"Don't bother," Sasuke cut across. "Light is nothing but an illusion to keep us believing that darkness doesn't exist. Light is for fools. It's nothing but an imaginative shield 'protecting' oneself from the darkness that surrounds us."

"So you're trying to say light doesn't exist?"

Sasuke smirked. "Exactly."

"But it does!" Sakura protested. "Just because you haven't seen it for years, doesn't mean it doesn't exist anymore. Light exists, but so does darkness. But it doesn't mean darkness is everything! I mean, light… you can't deny its existence! Have you ever _seen _the light, metaphorically?"

"What do you mean?" He narrowed his eyes. The smirk was long gone.

"I mean… _feel _the light. The warmth… like sitting beside someone who's important to you under the shade of cherry blossom trees… and just watch the sakura petals dancing in the wind, while you just watch the sunlight –"

* * *

Sasuke froze.

_Sitting beside someone who's important to you –_

"_Talk to me –"_

_- under the shade of cherry blossom trees –_

" – _I'm sorry for what I did –"_

_- and just watch the sakura petals dancing in the wind –_

" – _I was scared… don't leave me alone –"_

_- while you just watch the sunlight…_

" – _I promise you I'll always be with you, Sa --!"_

An important person.

Sakura petals.

Sunlight.

_Light _itself.

"_That's because I love you –"_

_**NO, STOP! DON'T! Don't…. love me…**_

" – _more than anything in the world –"_

_**I don't…**_

" – _so don't leave me alone!"_

… _**deserve you…**_

"_If you're the darkness, then I'll be your light!"_

Something cracked within Sasuke.

* * *

"- it's just so warm, it's so _beautiful _–"

"Shut up," came the quiet hiss, like the one of a menacing snake.

She stared at him. "But, Uchiha-san –"

"SHUT UP!" he snarled aggressively as he glared at her, his eyes full of hatred. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP **SHUT UP –**"

She found herself drowning… diving into the very bottoms of his eyes… no, they were bottomless…

… so dark…

… endless darkness…

But something broke through that darkness.

_Light_?

No… it was red. Crimson.

_Crimson like the blood…_

Images flashed before her eyes.

_Blood everywhere…_

… _the dead bodies…_

… _a scream…_

… _she began crying…_

… _he was crying too…_

… _she hugged him…_

"_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sa –"_

_His pain became hers._

_The pain was mutual._

Then, everything went black.

* * *

"Yes?"

Tsunade yawned. It had been a rough night. First, she had dealt with the worst patients ever (_little stubborn bitches_, Tsunade thought irritably as the memories resurfaced), then, she had gone to the bar and drunk herself crazy, after that, she had visited Jiraiya and played poker until 5 a.m., at which time she stumbled back to her own apartment and punched the senses out of any living (now half-dead) man who dared to approach her on her way home.

"Tsunade-sama…" The blonde florist and the black-haired PE teacher. Sakura's friends. _What are they doing here? _The worried look in Ino's eyes made her raise an eyebrow.

"Step inside," she urged them and stepped aside as they passed the threshold and seated themselves on the chairs placed in front of her desk.

"Is there anything urgent you want to tell me?" she wondered, even though that was already fairly obvious. It was already 1 p.m., and she knew their lunch break was coming to an abrupt end in any minute.

Shikamaru and Ino exchanged glances.

"Well, yeah," Shikamaru sighed exasperatedly. "Tsunade-sama, do you know of… Sakura's _past_?"

Tsunade frowned. "No. She has amnesia, and I met her when I consoled her about it."

"Yes, we know that," said Ino. "But you know… about her new job…"

"What about it?" Tsunade demanded to know.

"Well, was the moving _necessary_?" Ino pressed on.

"Why do you wonder?"

Shikamaru and Ino told her. Tsunade sighed. "I'm glad you're worried about her, but she has to face her past sooner or later."

"But this is not a good way!" Ino exclaimed. "She's… well, she's already damaged. And then _that_…"

"It's alright." Tsunade smiled kindly, yet firmly. "I believe in her. She'll make it."

* * *

"Hey… are you okay?"

Sakura blinked. Sitting up, she could feel her head ache badly, but she still answered: "Yeah…"

_Where am I? _She looked around. This was definitely not Sasuke's room. But it wasn't hers, either.

It was white… and clean… it looked like –

_A nurse's office?_

At the curious look appearing on her face, the nurse beside her smiled: "Yes, you're in a nurse's office. You fainted in Uchiha Sasuke's cell."

"… I did?" _I just remember… darkness… and blood… and then there were those eyes…_

"Yes. You don't seem to have a fever, though." The nurse cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't he hard to deal with?"

… _they were **red**… and so hateful… _"Eh?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. He sure is handsome though, don't you think?"

_Handsome? _Sakura hadn't really thought of that. But come to think of it, his features weren't the kind you criticized. He was, when she thought of it, pretty hot. She felt herself blushing slightly. _What am I thinking? Sakura, you're his psychiatrist. He's a psychopath. This is no time to start being fangirly._

"I take that as a yes?" The nurse giggled. "If he hadn't been so scary… when he first came here, all the nurses swooned over him. But then…" Her eyes darkened. "… well, I don't think you want to know. Or have they told you?"

"Told me what?" Sakura wondered.

"About the psychiatrists he has turned to psychos."

* * *

"_The psychiatrists went insane, after the seventh week, they were brought here and joined him 'in the darkness'."_

Sakura shivered unpleasantly as she took off her shoes in the dimly lit hall of her tiny apartment.

_Does he do it on purpose…?_

"_Being a psycho doesn't equal dumb."_

_But… somehow… he doesn't feel like a bad person._

Sakura shrugged. She remembered Sai saying that she was too naïve for her own good… but this time, she was almost 100 percent sure.

_Uchiha Sasuke isn't a bad person._

She walked into her kitchen and put on the lights, and automatically started searching the fridge for food as she thoughtfully argued with her brain whether or not this was imagination or intuition.

And just as suddenly, the apartment turned black. Even the fridge's light disappeared.

_Darkness…_

The fear that awakened inside her was unlike herself. Sakura was never _afraid _of darkness. _Because I know that there's light._

She rushed to her window, and to her surprise, all the other apartments' lights were on. But her own was dark. _Strange. I've paid the bills…_

Then, a hissing voice broke the silence as somebody – or something – breathed in her neck. "Do you remember me..."

_Uchiha-san? _Sakura frowned. _Impossible. He's at the psych ward…_

"… Sakura?"

The last thing she remembered was a pair of crimson eyes staring at her with bloodthirstily.

* * *

Whee I'm so glad that you guys liked the first and second chapter! At first I thought this was a really weird idea. But my sister, who normally thinks that my fanfics aren't of the highest quality, encouraged me to continue, so I decided it was worth it. So far, I've finished ch. 6 and begun on ch. 7, while my plot planning has reached... hmm... well, I don't quite remember which chapter, but it should be chapter 15, I think. And then there're some long-term plans.

By the way, for This Is Not My First Time readers, don't miss the upcoming update! After that, there's one final chapter and then it's time for the sequel!

* * *

**_Reviews Corner (Already 30? Thanks!! Keep on reviewing, pretty please!)_**

**angel2559: **Thanks:) Did you like the update?

**Scarlet123: **I'm glad that you like it :D

**Shadowsakura231: **Thank you :D

**7sweetnsour7: **Thanks ;D

**icygirl2: **Heh heh.. I like teasing you guys about the past :D As a matter of fact, writing about their past is really fun. I love developing characters, starting from the childhood, but just to leave you guys wondering what _really _happened, I tease you instead ;) -laughs evilly- Thanks for the review!

**KAWAii MYV: **Really?? Thanks:D

**honoring death: **Hahaha:D I've watched it twice. It was, naturally, the first thing that came to my mind when - hey, wait a minute, I'm not supposed to give you spoilers now, am I? XDDD

**warming Sunshine: **Thank you :) Well, I've become very interested in psychology lately (blame my friend, she's always rambling on about how she wants to become a psychiatrist, because that has been her ambition ever since she was a child), and then it just popped into my mind one day, because... I should stop ranting now before I give any spoilers, shouldn't I?

**waterkunoichi: **I know, it's so sad. To be honest, I was quite a NaruSaku fan in the beginning of the series, but one thing I find annoying with some NaruSakuers (I'm not speaking for the whole NaruSaku fandom, though) is that they always have to bash Hinata in order to prove that NaruSaku can or will be canon. Anyway, back to the topic - I'll try to insert as much ShikaIno as possible :) And thanks:D

**Claud-kun: **Thank you :D

**pinky101: **Thanks :D

**Niamph: **Thanks:D Hahahah, it's very tempting to make them OOC though, especially Sasuke. Funny how I made a fic about OOCness (The Curse of OOCness) and then I can't even think of things that make them OOC... gah, I always rant too much! XD

**Crazy Gal42: **Wow, am I really that great? Thanks:D

**inner soul: **Mwahahah... because I'm evil, luv, I'm evil :) And he did see her face, though. It may be confusing, but it'll be explained in... err... ten chapters or something, I can't quite remember. XD Thanks anyway:D

**cherry blossom petals: **Thanks :D

**Wow, I had thought there'd only be a couple of reviews, and you guys surprised me! Please keep on reviewing... remember, the more reviews, the more I'm encouraged to write ;)**


	4. Obsidian

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

* * *

Chapter IV: Obsidian

_She's crying._

_She can feel her own tears trickling down her cheeks, her little silent sobs as her arms embrace the boy from behind. She can feel him stiffen in surprise._

"_Don't. Don't go. Don't go running after him…"_

_He turns around to face her, and he can see her shining tears._

"… _don't leave me here. **They **have already left me. Don't leave me too…"_

_She's sniffing pathetically, but she doesn't care. She doesn't care if she's considered **weak**, **helpless**, or even **pathetic. **I can't let him go, is all that echoes in her confused, panicked mind._

_I can't let him._

_Can't let him walk away from me._

_I can't let him forget about me…_

… _I can't allow myself to forget about **him**._

_Another strange dream._

Sakura rubbed her head, which was throbbing with pain, as she walked into the grey building as usual. The half-hearted 'good morning's of the moody workers had already become part of her everyday life, and even though she had only been here a week, this kind of felt like _home_.

Which was kind of ironic, since Sakura had never considered anything her 'home'. A home was where your family awaited you, where you could find warmth and love and trust. She had none of that.

Besides, this place was dark and crazed and filled with agony. How she could even consider it a home was beyond her.

But it was that man…

Uchiha Sasuke…

He never spoke – yet she felt like she knew everything about him. She felt immediately relaxed around him, despite his coldness, his silence, his hating eyes.

_But I'm having more headaches than ever. And those strange dreams… I can't even remember who these people are in my dreams. Or what they're talking about. Or even what's happening._

_I can only remember that feeling…_

… _that **familiar **feeling. Of warmth.

* * *

_

She walked into his room with a bright smile plastered on her lips. "Hello, Uchiha-san!"

The only way she knew he was actually listening was the way he looked at her. It seemed so frighteningly loathing, and even though she was curious to know why he hated her so much, she seemed strangely accustomed to his icy demeanor.

"How're you today?"

No response. Ever since her second visit, he had not spoken a word. Only given her hard glances. It was like those eyes tore apart her very soul to the smallest fragments that could possibly exist.

"I see that you're fine. So Uchiha-san, have I told you about the latest movie that has been released? It's supposed to be aired next month. It sounds really interesting! It's about…"

Sakura knew she was babbling too much. But it was one of her bad parts that could actually come of use sometimes. She had read somewhere that if you just babbled enough, people would become accustomed to you, and they'd slowly open up. Maybe that was the case of the Uchiha.

Either way, he was awfully _stubborn_. Like a sulking child.

_**Like a sulking…**_

"_Don't give me that scowl, Sa--!"_

**… _child?_**

"… _Aww… you're so cute when you're sulking, Sa--!"_

"Can you feel it?" he interrupted her ranting about the movie's actors.

She gave him a friendly smile, even though she could feel herself freezing. "Feel what?"

"The darkness," he added, with a malevolent smirk decorating his not-so-ugly features.

"No. I don't even know what you're talking about! I'm perfectly fine. There's no darkness!" She laughed, when she suddenly realized that the laugh sounded fake.

And anxious.

Apparently Sasuke could hear it too, because he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Well… uh… there's been this voice I've heard." Sasuke seemed pleased with the response. "It sounds like a voice in my dreams… just that in the dreams, it doesn't sound as… _malicious_." She studies Sasuke's face thoughtfully. "Just like you, Uchiha-san. Bad, but not bad."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she smiled widely, "that I believe you're not a baddie!"

"A _baddie_?" he repeated, somewhat mockingly. "You're saying I_ pretend_ that I'm psychotic?"

"No, that's not what I meant," she retorted defensively. "I meant that… I think that Uchiha-san is nice, deep inside!"

* * *

"Sakuuuuuraaaa!" 

"Ino! Hey!" She smiled joyfully at the sight of her blonde friend. Ino returned her smile.

_At least she seems okay._

"How're you?" Ino wanted to know. "The psych ward's not driving you mad too, is it?"

"No, it's great!... Okay, maybe not great, but you know, my new patient isn't that bad. Uchiha-san may be a bit weird, as expected of a psychotically disturbed person, but he's kind of nice."

_Nice?_

"So… you like him?" Ino grinned evilly. Sakura's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink than her hair.

"L-like him? I-Ino! He's a… a _patient_! I'm his psychiatrist!"

"Hey, hey, calm it, what're you fantasizing about, eh?" Ino teased. "I was wondering liking in general. What did _you _think I meant?"

Sakura's cheeks turned even redder. "Well, I think he's nice."

"And…?"

"Ino!"

"Hey, I'm just wondering!"

"… Okay, so he's kind of a hottie."

"Honestly?!" Ino pretended to be shocked. "Wow! A hottie in a psych ward. I can already see it in front of me… the psychiatrist falling in love with the psycho… wow, that'd be a real melodramatic soap opera."

"INO!" By now, Sakura's face was crimson.

* * *

"Not a… _baddie_, huh?" He smirked bitterly for himself. "If you only knew…"

* * *

"A jewelry store!" Ino squealed. "I was just looking for something good for my date on Friday –" 

"Wait. A _date_?"

"Yeah." Ino stared, puzzled, at Sakura's flabbergasted face expression. "What about it?"

"With who?" Sakura wanted to know.

Ino blushed and started to play with her golden hair. "Uh… nobody special…"

Sakura grinned mischievously. "Is it Shikamaru?"

The red that now spread all across Ino's face just showed clearly it was. A laugh emitted from Sakura's lips. "I _knew _you were made for each other!"

"Well… it's just our second date…," Ino muttered as she started to look at the golden necklaces that shimmered in the dim lamp-light in the small boutique. Sakura's grin widened before she turned her attention to the baskets in front of her; she looked at the colored, uneven stones in there with fascination. She picked up a small crystal the color of her own hair. Then she saw it…

… so _black_, with that dull coldness…

"Miss? Are you interested in gemstones?" a voice said from behind her. Sakura looked up, startled, to see the smiling shopkeeper.

"Um… well…" She returned the smile. "Yeah, I guess."

"Any particular kind you're interested in?"

"Yes…" Her eyes wandered to the black stone again, as she picked it up carefully. The obsidian was cold to the touch. _Just like him._ "What's this?"

"Ah… an obsidian," he informed her as he inspected the icy stone on the palm of her hand. Then, his eyes slowly diverted its gaze upwards to her face with a grin. "Just like seven years ago, no?"

She blinked. "What?"

"I always remember my customers. Seven years ago, you came here with a boy with eyes like those of an obsidian… you asked for rose quartz, if my memory hasn't failed me."

_A boy with the eyes of an obsidian…?_

"Seven days later, he came back, alone, to buy it… for your birthday, if I'm not wrong."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief.

"A heart-shaped rose quartz necklace…" He chuckled. "What a romantic gift indeed. However, he denied you were his girlfriend."

"I… I'm sorry," she said weakly. "You must've gotten the wrong person."

"I see." He peered at her. "Emerald eyes and hair like rose quartz. Is your name Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura's world swirled.

* * *

This was not good. _Not good at all._

Sasuke felt his body tense. His muscles ached as though he had been training every single part of them too much, his vision became blurred and his heart beat fast, each beat making his head feel pain as though the beat had come from a hammer.

"Damn it. DAMN IT!" he screamed out loud. "AAARGH!"

His hands tore his hair helplessly as each wave of nausea became clearer… _worse_… he was losing focus… he –

"AAAH! No! Go away from me! _Go_! Stay away, _light_!"

- was –

"Darkness, save me! Save me f-from the l-light…"

- losing –

"… d-don't let it f-fool me, not again… not again… NOT AGAIN!"

- his –

"Darkness rules all that exists! You cannot fool me, light! You're merely an illusion… yes, an illusion…"

- mind…

Tears started to roll down his cheeks. He smiled, bitterly, before he shrieked again, his black eyes changing color to crimson – to the color of blood…

_Blood –_

"DON'T DO THIS TO ME!"

- _he was running _–

"Don't do this to me… don't…"

- _running away from the horror, the fright, from **him** –_

"Don't make me… don't…. do this… don't make me…"

_- even if he left her behind, even if he had to leave his heart behind, but he wanted revenge, oh, the sacred hatred he shared that'd finally be set free the moment he would make **him **bleed… even if he had to sell his soul to the Devil he'd want that power, but –_

"Don't make me, Sa…"

Her name made his eyes widen. Three black commas appeared in his crimson eyes. He wailed, before yelling: "THE DARKNESS, TAKE ME AWAY! SAVE ME! WHY ARE YOU ABANDONING ME?"

_- she was so weak, so lonely… so much like him but still not…_

"Don't make me…"

"_Sasuke-kun, look, isn't it beautiful? It's just like your eyes!"_

"… _Don't leave me. Don't leave me here, alone…"_

"… not again…" He moaned.

_Her smile, her tears, her wrath, her sorrow… he could see it all. He could see it behind that surface._

"… don't make me fall in love with you again…."

_She was falling – he widened his eyes in horror – falling like a stone – **IT'S NOT MY FAULT **– falling like a dying bird with torn wings – **DON'T BLAME ME **– falling like a cherry blossom petal carried by the brutal wind – **IT'S NOT MY FAULT **– like an angel, so stunningly beautiful, so innocent, but – **IT'S NOT MY FAULT **– he failed to protect her – **DON'T BLAME ME…**_

_He was the reason she was falling._

He roared, berserk, as he punched the ground madly with his fists.

_**It's my fault.**_

Suddenly, he broke into sobs, half-crouching, half-lying, as the tears of frustration ran down his face.

_**In the end, it was all my fault.**_

He closed his eyes, feeling the world closing in on him. But this time, his repetitive nightmares lacked the familiar cries and the blood-shedding.

This time, they were beautiful memories that filled him with more pain that even his normal nightmares could cause.

* * *

"_Wow, it's so pretty, Sa --!"_

"_Is it really… for me?"_

"_Arigatou, Sa…" The lips moved to form a name. Her heart pounded. Sa… s…_

"Excuse me!" Ino's voice suddenly said, with a sharp undertone as she neared Sakura and the shopkeeper. "I think we've got to go!" And with those words, she dragged Sakura out of the store. Sakura snapped out of her trance, and blinked, still startled.

"Are you alright?" her friend asked worryingly as they started to walk down the street again. "You looked so… _frightened _back there. What happened? What did he say to you?"

Sakura didn't reply. She opened the palm of her hand slowly, and that was when she realized she still had the rose quartz and the obsidian tightly clutched in her grip. But there was something different… as she fingered the obsidian, she suddenly realized it wasn't cold anymore.

After she had held it, it had become warm.

* * *

Guys... I have to REALLY thank you! I love your reviews. I just want you to know, I read through all of them, and each one is equally precious. x3 And also, I'm doing my best to write this fanfic... it's the one I love the most out of those I've written this far. Also, for those who wondered about the previous chapter's ending... heh heh. It's a secret. ;) It'll be explained later on, though... 

And also, I realize this fanfic is proceeding slightly slowly, but that's the point. I don't like rushed relationships - or any rushed stories, as a matter of fact. Mostly when you start out writing an AU, the characters have basic traits and relationships, and in the fic, you develop them - so to say, _evolve _them. So... that's what I'm doing with Sakura and Sasuke. n.n It won't be TOO slow, though... you can expect some more serious SasuSaku soon!

For the readers of This Is Not My First Time, the final chapter's most likely to be published tomorrow. And also, for those who like SasuSaku fluff, Everlasting Dreams is soon to come! (I just need to finish that tribute to Sasuke's a Stripper FC on Narutofan Forums, then I'm going to release it. I've some reaaally fluffy and humoristic (and evil!) plans for that oneshot collection. :D)

* * *

**Reviews Corner (I LOVE YOU GUYS! LUV YA! PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW!!!)**

**cherry blossom petals: **Thanks, I will :D

**angel2559: **Did you like the update this time too? ;D I'm glad you liked the previous one :)

**pinky101: **I will do my best :D

**unconditional: **Thank you :)

**waterkunoichi: **I feel flattered… is my story really that good:D But yeah, I do get kind of irritated with her too shy behavior sometimes and want to just yell, 'Hinata, get a grip on yourself!' like in the beginning of the Chuunin exams, but _that _is just exaggerated. And then there's that NaruHina in those fillers too. I think it's weird that people say that Kishi has no control over the anime. It's _his _series. If he so badly _didn't _want NaruHina to happen, why didn't he just tell them to stop hinting NaruHina in the fillers?

**MangaGirl427: **Heheh... XD I'm evil. 3 I love cliffhangers... or at least, to write cliffhangers. I don't like cliffhangers in stories I read, because they're too evil. D:

**darkrikku13: **Next chapter's here! n.n Like it? And thanks!

**intoxication: **Thanks:D Mwahahah, I love being secretive –smiles evilly-

**honoring death: **Auw... I'm sorry about that mark! Is it still left? What I meant was... try to picture this: you lie on the beach a perfectly sunny day during the summer holidays, but it's not so hot that it burns you, just relaxing with your friends with an icy can of soda and you just feel like life couldn't be any better? And you feel that feeling of, I don't know, _warmth _(but it's not the sun) and harmony... it's kind of _feeling _the light, and if you love someone, it's literally _seeing _the light in your life. XD That's what I meant. But thanks:) I'm glad you like it.

**littlechineseazngirl: **Saku-chan has amnesia; according to her memories in the latest chapter, she has with most probably been in an accident. XD Thanks:D

**icygirl2: **Thank you! ;) Have a nice day too! And about the NaruHina... I'm considering it. Naruto and Hinata aren't very important in the story as of now, but considering how Naruto is the main character in the _real _series, maybe it's unfair of me just to leave him out... hmm...

**warming Sunshine: **Hahah, sorry for not being able to provide you with the explanation! It'll just have to remain as a mystery, I guess... -whistles innocently- No, I'm just kidding. It'll be explained, I just don't know when though (or, I think I know, but I'm not telling you -smirks evilly-). Thank you!

**Sakura Uchhia: **Thanks :)

**Crazy Gal42: **Where can I read your poems?? -very curious- If you wrote an URL, it didn't show up. Do you have it here, on FF? And thanks for the review:)

**frienz4ever: **I updated! -makes a ta-dah! pose- Liked it:D

**Mimi the Witch: **Thank you:)

**ScarletNinja123: **Thanks :D

**yukibozu: **Thanks, I'm glad that you like it :)

**purplecherry5: **Same for me! Cliffhangers really drive me crazy... especially Angel-san, author of the Uchiha Sweetheart, and Haunted-san, author of Contradicted... argh! Their cliffies! -cries- But I updated:D So what do you think? And thanks for the review!

* * *

**Five Random Things that Currently Inspire Tsuki-chan**

Just a weird by-the-way list of the author, like Natsuki-san's "Ultra Blah blah blah" in the _Fruits Basket_ manga or something.

_Kelis - Get Along With You (remix): _Praise and curses to my sister who made this damn song get stuck in my brain. The video was awful, but the song was kinda okay.

_Jade from Sweetbox/Final Fantasy X-2 - 1000 words (English full version): _I frickin' love this song. Planning to do a oneshot about it.

_My "job practice" in a café until next week: _I'm kind of sure the US have this, too - it's like, when you're in junior high, you go to 'try out working' for free - in Swedish it's called 'prao' or 'praktisera', literally 'practice (working)'. It's quite an inspiration source for my upcoming, improved version of _Princess Sakura_.

_Sitting on the second floor of Burger King and just relaxing: _What could be lovelier? Seriously. It's twilight, you sit there with your darling sister and just relax with a brownie (which, by the way, can't rival Espresso House's) and mint tea (which also can't rival Espresso House's chai tea). But anyway... it's just so nice.

_Reading my old diaries: _Information about happy and sad and angry times, information about hilarious or heartbreaking events... well, just exaggerate and add some more action or mystery and you've got some good stuff.

**Note: This is not just inspiration for _Fear of the Light_... this is just inspiration material in general this week.**


	5. Remember

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter V: Remember**

"Here!"

She smiled at him, her jade eyes shining with glee. He raised an eyebrow as she dropped the gemstone into the palm of his hand.

"Why are you giving me something… _pink_?" He spat the word as though it was venomous, but she didn't even react.

"It's because I've heard that there're two sides of a coin," she responded brightly. c"Everything has its opposite."

"And…?" he urged her to go on, still giving her a look of doubt.

"There's darkness," she continued, making him slightly flinch at the remark, "but there's _light_. Even if it's a mere illusion, as you say, it's still there, right? The counterpart of the dark. But even if it's just an illusion…"

She tore her eyes from him and looked dreamily at the thin air. "Sometimes, humans need help. Even if it's just artificial, not there for _real_…" She winked. "It's still helping, you know? Imagining there's something like light, feeling that warm feeling."

He was speechless, but became even more so when she reached into her pocket and pulled out something.

It was another stone. A _black _one.

"An obsidian?" he questioned out aloud.

"Glad you could recognize it," she said cheerfully. "Because you know, if you have that –" She nodded in the direction of the pale pink that glimmered in his hand, " – you can be reminded there's light. And if I have this…" Her fingers closed around the object. "… I can be reminded there's darkness. That way, neither of us will be stupidly unaware of the other's existence."

_Be reminded there's light…?_

"I'm not doing it on behalf as a psychiatrist, though," she added. "I'm doing it as a… _friend_."

_A friend? _His frown became even more obvious as he glared at her. "What makes you think we're _friends_? We don't even know each other."

She shrugged. "I'm not saying we are. It merely feels as though we are. You know, it's this strange feeling I've been having lately – laugh if you want - that we know each other, from before. I can't quite recall where I've met you, though. But…" She inspected his face. "… it feels as though I know you."

"Che." He smirked. "You want to be friends with _darkness_?"

At this, her smile became secretive. _Cryptic_. "Darkness and light are counterparts. They're each other's exact opposites… but they're still of the same coin, right? So, Uchiha-san… if you're darkness, then I'll try to be your light."

"_I'll be your light."_

He widened his eyes as the voice replayed itself in his mind, mixing with another one, not even hearing Sakura's cheerful 'Well, I'm off. I'll see you tomorrow, Uchiha-san!'. Another voice that was too familiar…

"_I'll be your light."_

_**Friends with darkness itself…**_

"_If you're the darkness –"_

_**Even the darkness can't resist the light.**_

"_- then I –"_

_**Even if that's the sole purpose of the darkness. To resist light.**_

" – _will be your light, -"_

_**Even if being with the light would destroy the darkness…**_

" – _Sasuke-kun!"_

_**Even if darkness is forbidden to love the light.**_

"_I love you."_

"_Let me be your light."_

"_I'll never forget you."_

_**LIAR! LIAR! GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU LIED! You broke it…**_

_Pink like the cherry blossom that's blooming –_

_**You broke your promise.**_

_- green like the spring itself –_

_**You broke your promise…**_

"_Promise me that one day, you'll give your answer."_

… _**and I broke mine…**_

"… _Hn."_

_**We're liars deep within, aren't we…**_

"_Fine." Her eyes turned as big as saucers. His voice was impatient, irritated… "One day, I'll give you my answer."_

… _**Sa –**_

He opened his lips to let out a pained, bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

"And then he just went, 'You don't know a shit!'" Tenten exhaled loudly as she furiously swung her bag across her shoulder in a very unladylike style. "Can you believe it, Sakura? I deal with psychos like Gaara and succeed, and then I meet this little kid who claim I don't know 'a shit'! Geez!"

But Sakura didn't seem to listen. Her gaze was elsewhere, and it was strangely uncharacteristic; the pink-head was usually relaxed, cheery and fun to be with, but she was bizarrely tense, silent… almost _nervous_.

"Sakura?" Tenten repeated, glancing at her curiously. Her friend failed to react. "Yo! Sakura!"

"W-what?" Sakura tore her gaze away from whatever she was looking at, and smiled anxiously. "Oh, sorry, Tenten. What did you say?"

Tenten stared. "… Nothing. Hey, are you okay? You were kind of spacing out there, you know. Has something happened?"

"Oh… well… no…"

Sakura forced herself to smile even wider. How come smiles felt so unnatural now? Usually they just came, even when she wanted them least to. But now she was forcing them to come; and yet, she knew it looked fake, and she knew Tenten could see it too.

But there was that sound… that unnerving sound… that unnerving _feeling_… it was like something horrific would happen any minute, any second even; she felt her entire body tense. It was familiar… so strangely familiar.

_Blood –_

_- screams –_

_- fear…_

_He was frightened –_

_- and so was she –_

_- and they stared at the eyes in front of them –_

_- those piercing eyes…_

… _those piercing crimson eyes…._

Sakura felt a bolt of pain, and winced. Tenten just continued to look at her, somewhat sternly, but with concern. "Sakura, tell me what's going on."

"Nothing, I'm telling you. It's true!" _But there was still that sound…_

_Drip – drop – drip – drop – drip – drop –_

The sound of dripping water…

_Drip – drop – drip – drop –drip – drop –_

The sound piercing through the tense silence like a sharp blade…

_Drip – drop – drip – drop – drip – drop –_

Or was it really water? She was sure it was…

_Blood…_

… _those red eyes, just like the blood that dropped from the knife in his hand –_

"Sakura!" Tenten's voice was sharp now, once again interrupting her.

"I'm fine, okay?" Sakura tried to sound as reassuring as possible. "Let's go have something to eat. I'm just hungry; that's why I keep spacing out."

Tenten looked at her with suspiciousness, but Sakura didn't care. She didn't want to trouble her friend with what she thought or felt, or more precisely… _saw_… and _heard_…

That voice… that icy voice…

'_Kill…'_

'_Foolish little brother –'_

' – _someday I'll crush your little blossom too –'_

' – _you lack hatred –'_

'_Who are –'_

_Blood –_

_- red eyes –_

_- fear –_

And those other voices…

'_Onii-' _Fear.

'_No, Sas –' _Worry.

And then there was the first one. The first one and the final one.

'_Kill…'_

Sakura shivered. Despite it being a quite sunny and warm day, she froze.

_Drip – drop – drip – drop…

* * *

_

"Has it begun?"

His voice was grim. Bitter. Anxious. Hinata looked, concerned, at her husband; the fun-loving prankster she had fallen in love with as a young girl was standing in front of him, yet the Naruto she had grown to know and love was hidden deep inside him; his current self was filled with troubles they would never had anticipated back in their past.

"Yeah…" Her tone was different from his; sad, soft like a feather, trailing off slightly. "… Sakura-san is strong, I believe, but Sasuke-san…" She hesitated. "He…"

"He couldn't resist." Naruto smiled bitterly. "That bastard. Can never resist a challenge, can he? She was stronger than the others… so he wanted to use _it_ to his full potential. Never any mercy… any kindness… any sympathy…" He paused. "… he isn't himself anymore…"

"He is," Hinata responded. "He is, he's just… temporarily hidden. Within his heart…"

"But why did he…" Naruto's voice trailed off, now filled with desperation. "… it was _Sakura_-chan… he knows how fragile she is… strong surface, fragile heart... the hypnosis…"

The two exchanged glances that definitely did not contain any happiness.

"… it's going to kill her for sure…"

* * *

Hmm... well, here's the supernatural part! I hope you liked the update. :D Thanks for all reviews and KEEP ON REVIEWING, PLEASE!

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**Claud-kun: **Thanks:D Did I surprise you, now? ;) I wish the ending could've been better… but I've my hopes up to make a better sequel. For now, however, I'm concentrating on my fluff collection – it'll be the best fluff I've ever written:D

**cherry blossom petals: **Really? Thank you!

**pinky101: **Doooone:D What do you think?

**purplecherry5: **Okay, I'll read it as soon as possible :) Nope, I don't have Writer's Block… it's just that I want perfect concentration when I write this fic – besides, I'm mostly concentrating on my fluff oneshot collection, because so far, I'm having lots of fun toying around with the weird ideas. Yeah, I can help, but just so you know, I'm not good at handling C2s… but thanks, I'll accept :D

**Crazy Gal42: **deviantART, huh? Cool! Well, I'll check it out once I've got some time… damn, my job practice is over now and I'm drowning in more homework than before. Thanks, did you like the update? ;)

**Aria-chan09: **Thank you:D I'm glad that my descriptions are liked… normally, people accuse me of describing too much. ;) I love describing things.

**honoring death: **Thanks:D Yes… Sakura's amnesia is damn frustrating, isn't it? Lol. XD I'm currently working on the chapter where… mwahahah, I guess I'll just have to wait and let you see –smiles evilly-

**paintupurple: **Thanks:D Heheh… yes, now wouldn't it be nice if Sakura had been there and hugged him just like in the Forest of Death… -dreams-

**yanagiblossoms: **Thank you:D I'm glad that you like it!

**angel2559: **Really? Thanks!

**yourdarkdesire: **Here's the update:D –does a ta-dah! pose-

**naomi.black: **Thanks, I'm glad that you like it:)

**icygirl2: **Thank you, and the same to you!

**Sakura Uchhia: **Don't worry, I will :)

**Freedomstar999: **Done! What do you think?

**Mimi the Witch: **Thanks:D Heheh, well, the life of a psychopath is hard, I guess… especially when the psychiatrist is somebody that reminds him of somebody else in his past. So I guess Sasuke has a good reason to freak out. Lawl. XD

**MangaGirl427: **You're welcome and thanks for reviewing ;D

**ScarletNinja123: **Glad that you like it ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**warming Sunshine: **Well, green isn't an unusual eye color, so I wanted to use pink instead to make sure that people get that the stones represent them XD And Sasuke's hair is black, too… but, well, I said 'the eyes of an obsidian' because it'd have sounded funny if he had said 'the hair of an obsidian'. Sakura, on the other hand, has a weird hair color and that everybody knows :) Hahah, nauw… well, it's a pity it's over now :( It's back to school again… and thanks for the review!

**yukibozu: **Hahahah, I didn't really think of that! I just thought it'd be weird if she really DID pay for it or something when she's totally spaced out, and then Ino dragged her out of there… thanks for the review:D

**frienz4ever: **Thanks:D


	6. Rose Quartz

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

* * *

Chapter VI: Rose Quartz

**"_It's like you're my guardian angel!"_**

_Your guardian angel, huh…? _Sasuke stared intensely at the pink gemstone that lay on the palm of his hand. _But in the end…_

**"_You're so cold! Maybe I should call you ice block-kun from now on instead!" Giggles erupted from her mouth. That familiar laughter._**

… _I wasn't able to protect you._

"Sasuke-kun," a hiss came from the darkness. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared at the figure that could be seen from the little window on his locked door.

"Orochimaru," he snapped, acknowledging the man's presence. The pale, almost snake-like psychiatrist chuckled dryly.

"Rude as always, Sasuke-kun. Some things never change, do they…"

Sasuke didn't respond. His glare only intensified, and some specks of red could be seen in the icy onyx of his orbs.

"Are you getting… _attached_ to her?"

Taken aback by the question, the chicken-haired youth flinched. It was a mere movement, but Orochimaru saw it perfectly. "Who?" he heard him ask.

"You know pretty well who I mean, don't you, Sasuke-kun?"

"I've no idea, snake-bastard. Tell me or die."

Another dry chuckle. "You know that one won't work on me, Sasuke-kun. Your hypnosis isn't advanced to that grade so that it can match mine."

A snarl. Then, "Tell me."

"Itsuino-san. Doesn't she remind you of someone?"

"I've no fucking idea what you're talking about."

"Pink hair… green eyes… ah, what's that in your palm, Sasuke-kun?" The sneering face bent closer towards the window to see. "… A _rose quartz_, isn't it?"

In an instant, however impossible it seemed, Sasuke was at the door, only the metal bars of the window separating him from the man named Orochimaru. "Shut the fuck up or fucking die."

Orochimaru's sneer only widened. He lowered his voice to a mere, ragged whisper: "… Are you falling again, Sasuke-kun?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Sasuke bellowed, shaking the metal bars violently. Two nurses rushed towards the scene.

"Orochimaru-san, maybe it's better if you distance yourself –"

"Uchiha-san, please calm down –"

"Nothing, nothing." Orochimaru's sneer turned into a faked smile in front of the worried women. "He just got a bit upset by some _reminiscing_, didn't you, Sasuke-kun?" He didn't as much as flinch as he saw Sasuke's deadly glare, which any ordinary man would've run off screaming at. The women shifted uncomfortably, before the three left his cell.

Sasuke went back to the cold stone wall he had been leaning against and sunk down once more, on the floor, his bare feet just as icy as his heart as they touched the concrete floor. _Getting attached…? Me?_

He laughed bitterly. _No way._

_No **fucking **way._

His brother's words echoed in his brain, hatefully, mockingly. _Haven't you realized it yet, foolish little brother?_

_Every time you love someone…_

… _every time you get attached…_

… _they'll **die**.

* * *

_

"_CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE WON FREE DINNER FOR TWO! FREEEEE DINNER! FOR TWOOO!" the man boomed gleefully as he waved, maniacally, the two pieces of papers in front of Sai's face. Sai blinked. "DO YOU GET IT, YOUNG MISTER? FREE DINNER FOR TWO! TAKE OUT YOUR SWEETHEART TO THE DINNER OF HER DREAMS! YIHAAAA!"_

_Sai sweatdropped. He had just entered the market lottery in hopes of winning something **useful**; dinner was something he **definitely **didn't need. Firstly, he wasn't the kind of guy who had specific food likes or dislikes, and secondly, he didn't have anyone to invite. He only knew one person who'd be starving enough to eat everything except the peasants on the street…_

"Is it really worth inviting _her_?" Sai muttered out loud as he walked down the empty corridors. The students had all gathered in the cafeteria for lunch; those that weren't starved enough to gulp down the horrid food of the school chefs went outside the school grounds. But Sai was, as mentioned before, not the kind of person who cared much about food. As a matter of fact, he could do _days _without food if he had to; Sakura had been shocked to find out this, who couldn't survive for more than three hours without anything to eat.

"Inviting who?" a voice interrupted Sai's thoughts. Sai's cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet as he turned around, face to face to a certain spiky-haired genius, the maths teacher Nara Shikamaru – the rumored lazy ass who had 200 in IQ.

"Nothing," Sai said swiftly and as nonchalantly as possible… though he had to admit it was a pathetic attempt to fool Shikamaru, whose eyes never missed anything. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the piece of paper in his hand, before a smirk crept upon his face.

"Dinner for two, huh? Taking out Sakura?"

"W-w-w-what? NO!" Sai almost yelled as he hid the two tickets in his pocket. Shikamaru's grin just widened.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! Why should I bring the ugly hag?"

"You always treat her to lunch, don't you?"

Sai cursed Sakura for telling Ino the secret who couldn't help but tell her boyfriend the secret who now couldn't help but tease Sai for the secret.

Oh, those unbelievable women with their goddamned secrets.

"Well, yes. But that's different. Asking her out to this would be a… date."

"And that'd be wrong how…?"

"Because it'd be troublesome."

Shikamaru considered it. Then he nodded in agreement. "That's true. So you're not inviting her?"

Sai heaved a sigh as he stared at the tickets on the palm of his hand. _Shakespeare was a true genius, and I agree… to invite or to not invite, that's the question.

* * *

_

"Mou… I'm HUNGRY!"

A loud grumble was heard as Sakura grinned embarrassingly at her black-haired patient. Sasuke's eyebrow was merely cocked upwards. "Why didn't you eat breakfast before you left, then?" he wanted to know.

"Eh heh… well, I… uh… well, you see, there were some… hmm… important… papers…" She trailed off, seeing Sasuke's blended expression of amusement and disbelief, she sheepishly smiled and said apologetically: "Well… I watched _Spirited Away_."

"In the morning?" Sasuke's eyebrow went further upwards. Sakura was starting to wonder how far it'd go… but she decided not to push her luck. He seemed to be in an uncommonly good mood.

"Well, no. In the evening. I overslept," she laughed, her tone excusing. "I didn't want to keep you waiting, you know?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, then smirked. "You like _Spirited Away_?"

"Yeah!" Sakura's eyes glittered happily. "I don't care that people think it's childish… it's beautiful! And sorrowful at the same time. I always cry when I watch the part where Chihiro has to leave and is not allowed to look back…"

"So…" Sasuke's smirk widened somewhat, and a somewhat half-teasing glimmer appeared in his usually blank eyes. "You wouldn't mind being spirited away yourself?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Sakura's face. Then, "Well, depends on who it'd be to spirit me away, of course. And who it'd be to rescue me."

"And if it was me?"

The question took the pink-head by surprise. But she smiled all the same. "Would you be the one to spirit me away, or to rescue me?"

He didn't even think twice. "The one to spirit you away."

"Well, then…" She beamed. "… feel free to spirit me away, Uchiha-san." She then glanced at her wristwatch. "Oh! I've to leave now, Uchiha-san. See you tomorrow!" She waved cheerfully as she exited his room, not even bothering to wait for a reply.

* * *

He found himself staring at her retreating back. _What did just come into my mind?_

'_The one to spirit you away.'_

_How stupid can I be, really?_

'_Are you going to spirit me away, Sa –'_

The familiar voice appeared in his mind. His eyes turned bigger and fearful before he screamed out in anguish.

* * *

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**She picked up the phone. "Haruno Sakura here! Who am I speaking with?" Silence. "… Haruno-san, is Uchi --?" The voice continued to speak. But Sakura couldn't make out the words. The younger version of Sakura, however, seemed to understand perfectly. Confusion. "No. Shall I leave a message?" Awkwardness. "… Thank you. Please tell him that his brother has lost all his memori –"**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**She picked up the phone. "Good evening, it's Haruno Sakura! May I help you?" Worry. "Sakura! Something terrible has happened!" Curiosity. "Ten --? What is it?" Anxiety. "… Ne – has been in a fight! He's really injured! Can't you come and treat his wounds?" Urgent reaction. "I'm coming right away, Ten –"… Jealousy. "… Where are you going, Sakura?" His voice was dark. Mysterious. Familiar. "… To Ne –kun." She could feel his eyes on her back when she left the house.**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**She picked up the phone. Widened her eyes. "Otou… san?"**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**Each signal was stronger than the previous. Soon they weren't sounds anymore… they were waves. Waves of different power and force; she was standing in front of a mirror looking at the reflection of her younger self. The mirror cracked. Voices… pictures…**_

_**Memories.**_

_**The mirror shattered completely.**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**She was standing all alone in the darkness.**_

_**She could see the back of somebody.**_

_**A boy with raven-haired hair.**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**He was walking away.**_

_**NO! DON'T LEAVE ME – DON'T LEAVE ME HERE, Sa –**_

_**She then realized she didn't know his name, despite him being the most precious person to her. Tears flooded down her cheeks.**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**I've lost… my… memories.**_

_**My most precious memories.**_

_Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

_**I've lost myself.**_

Sakura sat up in her bed so suddenly that she threw off the blanket. Looking around her, she was astounded to see that the sun was only setting. _Oh, right. When I came home after Uchiha-san's appointment, I ate so much I became sleepy. Then I went to sleep…_

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

Cursing the damned telephone, Sakura graciously jumped off her bed and staggered towards the living room, before answering it, silencing the signals.

"Hello?" she impatiently muttered.

"Ugly."

"Sai!" Happily surprised, she was glad to tell somebody about what she had just dreamt about. "You can't guess what I just had a nightmare about. Oh god, it was so _strange _–"

"Doyouhavetimetomorrowevening?"

"Er… what?" She furrowed her eyebrows. It was abnormal for Sai to speak so fast.

"Do you… have time… tomorrow… evening?" he repeated slowly.

_Why does he wonder that? _"Yeah. Why?"

"Well… uh…"

An awkward silence followed. Sakura laughed to break it. "C'mon Sai, tell me what's going on!"

"I've got… free dinner for two. Don't think it's something special because it's not I just don't have anyone to bring okay it's not like it's a date or something I don't even care if you're going to say yes or no or whatever I don't even know why I'm doing this I should just hang up I –"

"Breathe, Sai. BREATHE. Do you know the word?" Sakura giggled. "Okay, okay. I get it. A friendly dinner, not a date. What're you so flustered about?"

"… Nothing…," he muttered.

"Okay, good. What time should we meet?"

"What about 6 p.m.?"

"Great! And place?"

"I'm picking you up."

Sakura almost dropped the receiver. "What?"

"I'm picking you up," Sai repeated, his voice once again a bare mutter. _Wow. That's unusual, _Sakura thought, but shrugged it off.

"Okay, thanks. Well, see you tomorrow then. Bye!"

"Bye."

She put down the receiver and exhaled. "Whoa. Now that's uncommon." She stared out of the large windows of her living room at the blazing sky and the setting sun.

_I wonder if there's anything left in this world that can still astonish me._

Ring, ring.

"Damn!" Sakura swore out loud before she picked up the receiver and said sweetly: "Hello?"

"Haruno Sakura-san, right?" She recognized the voice.

"Ah! Uzumaki-san! May I help you?" Somehow… it too, felt familiar.

And strangely precious. But not in the same way as with her onyx-eyed patient.

"… Yeah. Since Sasuke's getting his monthly health examination, your appointment with him tomorrow will be moved to 6:05 p.m."

"Okay! Thank you for informing me!" she exclaimed brightly.

"No problem." Was it just her imagination, or did he sound sad? "Goodbye."

"Bye!"

She put the receiver back once more. Then, it struck her.

"Wait… wasn't my dinner with Sai 6:00 p.m.?"

* * *

And theeere ends this week's chapter! Heheh. So right now, my job practice has ended and Easter holidays have begun – I'm hoping I WILL have time to write anything, because all of my friends are so ecstatic about having any holidays WITHOUT studying after the job practice and a bunch of tests, that we all plan to meet A LOT. So far I've finished Chapter 7 and is beginning on Chapter 8; and also begun to write new fanfics (see my profile for more details about said fanfics). And Everlasting Dreams is STILL in process – I've ranted on about this forever, I know, but I've planned 33 of 52 oneshots so far and not finished a single one of them!

* * *

**_Reviews Corner (Whoa! Almost 100 reviews already... keep on going, everyone!!)_**

**HPBabe91: **The past's coming soon, heheh… -smiles evilly- Thanks:D

**angel2559: **Thanks, and done:D It's updated!

**Crazy Gal42: **Nauw… I hope it's going better for you in school soon. It's not going pretty well for me either – okay, so it does in certain subjects because they're easy, but I hate stuff like sewing and that (not cooking, though). In Sweden, we've got this grading system of Very Well Acceptable, Well Acceptable, Acceptable and Not Acceptable. In the middle of the semester we receive a warning if we might get a Not Acceptable in something… and guess what? That bitch of a sewing teacher gave me one! I'm already doing my best! Yeah, I know! Can't believe Sakura is a yaoi fangirl… -snickers- You've read the latest one? I HATE KARIN!... Okay, I don't, as long as she doesn't seduce MY – uh, I mean, Sakura's Sasuke! And thanks for the review!

**Freedomstar999: **Thanks :D I did, what do you think?

**sasusaku4life: **I'm glad you like it :)

**paintupurple: **Hahah, lawl. :D I'm glad it does! –grins evilly- It's supposed to. Thanks for the review:D

**pinky101: **I'm glad you do ;) Thanks for the review! (Hey, it rhymes!)

**R o x a s G o e s Q u a c k: **Thank you:D

**warming Sunshine: **You've learned already, my dear prodigy student! No, I'm just kidding. XDD Of course I'll explain it laaaater… -smirks evilly- And thanks!

**Crimson Blossom: **Thank you, and don't worry, you don't XD My English teacher actually never says that kind of stuff. She instead demands me to read and pronounce everything difficult in class because I'm the only one who can speak American English without sounding like a wannabe-American… or at least that's what people say. o.o; Sorry if I started a rant, heheh –sweatdrops-

**greenishsunset: **Thanks:D

**Mimi the Witch: **Thanks:D

**-Out-of-Inspiration-: **Thank you:D

**yourdarkdesire: **Thank you, and here's a new update… what do you think:)

**honoring death: **You never know… XDDDD You'll just have to wait and find out. :D And thanks for the review.

**purplecherry5: **The problem is… I don't even know how to add C2 stories. XD I'm staff of 4 C2 communities now, and so far I haven't added one single C2 story because I don't even know how to do it. Hahah, mission accomplished. ;) Thanks for the review!

**Kunoichi142: **Thanks! Well… we'll have to see, I guess :D The past's coming soon ;)

**CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: **Thanks:D

**ScarletNinja123: **Thank you:)

**yukibozu: **Really? I thought KH was just about having a heart or not. Okay, so I don't really know about KH 1, since I've just finished KH 2 (in which they all rant about Nobodies and having a heart or not…) and KH 1 is so damn difficult, so I don't really know. XDD But thanks:D

**XXRedWolfXX: **Thanks, and of course I will continue ;)

**icygirl2: **Thanks and it's okay:D I'm glad that you reviewed at all. And here's the second chapter :D

* * *

**Tsukiko's Ultimate Blah-Blah-Blah: **

**Five Inspiration Sources This Week: **

**My sister: **We've got the weirdest, most random conversations EVER. This ALWAYS inspires me.

**Narutofan Forums: **Konoha Plaza is a great place to start to look for random topics. And the SasuSaku FC inspired me to plan _Kisses of a Killer_, my soon-to-come Itachi x Sakura x Sasuke melodramatic action love-story.

**Silverdragon994: **Silver, you evil bananas-lover, inspired me to plan a SasuSaku oneshot:D Mwahahahah. –random evil laughter-

**Gabzillaz on Deviantart: **Gabz, that wonderful Team 8-crazed artist (and debater :D)… also inspired me to plan a SasuSaku oneshot in Everlasting Dreams. :D Her art is frickin' beautiful… everybody who's Team 8, NaruHina or SasuSaku crazed, CHECK OUT HER ART GALLERY!

**Ice Cream: **Believe it or not, I get the weirdest inspiration whenever I think or eat ice cream! … Just the thought makes me want to eat it NOW…


	7. Spirit Me Away

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

* * *

Chapter VII: Spirit Me Away

"It's raining," she murmured softly for herself as she stared out of the window.

It truly was. Fat raindrops smattered against the windows, exploding into tiny fragments of hardly seeable water as they met the transparent material, blurring the view. The sky was a dark-grey color, and the streetlights lit up specific parts of the pavement, like dim spotlights in a long deserted theater; Sakura felt almost melancholy as she watched the raindrops.

_I'm not crying, it's just the rain –_

"Ugh!" Her hand flew to her head at the sharp, piercing pain. _Damn…_

More and more of those mysterious, familiar voices lately, saying sentences that seemed so precious, but yet so insignificant, had appeared, each time making her dizzy or giving her a proper headache. _Why now…? After seven years!_

_Seven is my favorite number. Don't you have a favorite number, Sa-_

"ARGH!"

Bending down on her knees, she pressed two hands to her head. _What the hell is this?_

Just then, somebody rang the doorbell. Arising slowly, she brushed off some non-existing dust from her red evening gown. "Coming…," she called as cheerily as she could, before opening the door.

"Hi, Sai," she beamed. He seemed strangely discomforted; he wasn't dressed up much, just a black shirt that was only the slightest open and newly bought dark jeans. He did, however, look slightly flushed. Staring puzzled after his hardly hearable greeting, she asked: "Have you run or something? Your face is all red."

"… Yeah…"

Sakura shook his head and decided that Sai was acting really weird.

* * *

"Sasuke-san… may I ask you something?"

Her still voice sounded sad. Sasuke sneered. _As calm and still as always, Hinata. Too vulnerable… I wonder what Naruto sees in you._

"Aa. Go ahead," he replied smoothly as she checked his bare back for any wounds; it was too common among 'prisoners' in the asylum to damage themselves, even if there hardly were anything they could damage themselves with. But they always found some way.

"Why… why do you want to hurt Atsuino-san?"

"Izumi? That pink-head?"

"Yeah…" A sorrowful, soft smile appeared on her lips, as she checked his right arm.

"… Hn. She seems quite strong. A true challenge."

"But… the hypnosis…" Hinata hesitated. "… it…"

"It what?" Sasuke snapped, irritated.

"Isn't it to _protect _people?"

Sasuke stiffened.

_Sasuke-teme, why are you hurting her that way?! She loves you! She needs you… she wants you to protect her!_

_**What a fool you are, dobe. More foolish than I anticipated; if she truly loves me, she should understand. I don't care about fools that can't protect themselves. Unlike you…**_

_Bastard! I protect Hinata because I love her! You don't even **care **to protect her anymore!_

_**Why should I? She's so weak. She needs to get stronger –**_

_BASTARD!!! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? YOU DIDN'T SEE… YOU DIDN'T SEE HER TEARS… HER FUCKING TEARS… HER SMILE, THE WAY SHE COUGHED UP BLOOD, YOU DIDN'T SEE A FUCKING THING –_

He winced.

… _**in the end, I couldn't protect her.**_

"_Sasuke-kun…" Tears._

_**It wasn't because I didn't WANT to…**_

"_Sasuke-kun… h-help…" Whisper._

… _**it was because I COULDN'T…**_

"_S-S-Sasuke-kun…" Helplessness._

_**I couldn't protect her…**_

"_Sasuke, I haven't taught you that hypnosis for nothing. It is to protect you and those that are precious to you, from Itachi's hypnosis."_

"_Onii-san? What is it with him?"_

"_Well, he's a bit psy –"_

"Shut the fuck up!" he growled menacingly, his eyes ablaze as he glared at her fiercely. "You don't know a fucking shit, so don't go around talking a load of crap!"

Hinata smiled sadly. "Hai, Sasuke-san…"

* * *

Sai could only thank God that Sakura was so dense.

For being a world-renowned psychiatrist, she sure was dense when it came to interacting socially with her friends; she could analyze and tear just a sentence to pieces and tell everything about it; the speaker's intentions, true opinion, whom it's directed to, the tone, the emotion, and so on.

_But… it's just so weird._

Sai had told her it wasn't a date. But to be honest, he hadn't really expected her to dress up like that. They had gone lunching plenty of times, but she always wore casual clothes. To see her in a red evening gown…

_Well, she does look nice._

He scowled as he noticed that he wasn't the only one thinking so. Other men were staring their way, lustfully. And women enviously when not giving him flirty glances.

Yes, so Sai knew he was good-looking, except that he had abnormally pale skin. And he liked to boast about it, jokingly.

But tonight, his mind was elsewhere.

He studied Sakura's face. _But she seems to be distant, too. _"Hag?"

"H-huh? What?" Sakura tore her gaze away from the large, billowy royal-red curtains of the restaurant, and laughed forcedly. "Sorry. I was just… thinking."

"Okay…" Sai raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you know, ugly, I know you. There's something on your mind."

"Well… I just think I saw a shadow. Don't you?" She nodded in the direction of the large glass windows and the red curtains. "I mean, it's evening, so it should have shadows, but still… it looked so… _human_. Now look, there's it again!"

Sai's eyebrow arose higher. There was nothing; just the slight shadow of the curtains. But other than that – nothing. "Hag, you're kidding, right?"

For a moment, Sakura's eyes widened… frightfully? Sai couldn't make out the emotions. Then she closed her eyes and seemed to force herself to relax, and she smiled. "Yeah. You really thought I was seeing shadows? I'm not crazy yet, Sai!"

Sai grinned back. But he knew her smile was fake; after all, _she _had been the one who taught him how to smile for real…

* * *

Sasuke was pissed.

For real.

Like it wasn't bad enough with the flashbacks. Now he was staring pathetically at this rose quartz gemstone, and waiting for that goddamned woman to appear.

"You," he snarled as a nurse passed by his little room. With a frightened 'eep!' she came to a halt, and hesitantly, and with shaking legs, stared into his hateful onyx eyes. "Where the fuck is Atsuino?"

"A-Atsuino-san? U-um… well… she seems to be… late…"

Sasuke growled. _I hate waiting._

* * *

"Yare, yare! It sure was a long time ago since I last could enjoy such a meal," Sakura exhaled happily. **(A/N: I'm sorry, guys! I really tried to resist the temptation to write something in Japanese other than the suffixes… but 'my, my' just doesn't sound the same as 'yare, yare'…)**

"Uh-huh." Sai smiled. "So you're going back and watching _Spirited Away_, then?"

"Nah… actually, I've something to do tonight… but –" Sakura stopped short, and then clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh no! Sasuke's appointment!"

"Sasuke?" Sai frowned. "As in Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Aren't his appointments in the morning?"

"Yeah, but today it was moved. To… oh my god, 6:05 pm. I hope Uzumaki-san won't kill me."

"Wait a minute. Uzumaki as in Uzumaki Naruto?"

Sakura stared at Sai as though he had just asked her if the moon was made out of cheese. "Uh, yes?"

Sai wrinkled his forehead. "Oh. You've talked to him?"

"Um… well, not much. He just phoned me to tell that Sasuke's appointment is being moved. Why, you know him?"

Sai heaved a sigh. "Nope. Nothing."

Sakura arched an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving him. Sai grinned, and then bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, ugly."

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Sakura could just stare.

* * *

"Why the fuck did you make me wait **_two _**fuckin' hours? Do you know how long that is? It's a fucking 120 minutes!" A vein popped on Sasuke's temple. Sakura grinned apologetically.

"Eh… sorry…"

"And why the hell are you wearing _that thing_?" he added, spitting out the last part. Sakura eyed her own outfit.

"This? Well, uh… I was having dinner…"

"You were on a date?" he snapped. "And for that you made me wait?"

_

* * *

What the fuck is her problem? Doesn't she realize that she's making me wait?_

Sasuke glowered at the pink-headed psychiatrist. Then his frown deepened, as he added in his thoughts: _Why the hell do I care anyway? She's just one big idiot._

… _Even if she **is **pretty in that dress –_

_No, she's fucking idiotic. Never mind her._

_Why am I still thinking about her?_

* * *

"A date?" Sakura's cheeks turned scarlet. "N-no! It was just a dinner with a friend…"

"And you dressed up for t_hat_?" He sulked. Sakura blinked in astonishment. _Is he jealous?_

_Wait a moment. This is **Uchiha Sasuke **we're talking about. Mr. Ice Cube Psychopath. There's no way he's jealous._

_No way._

_Right?_

"Well, we were going to a fancy restaurant," Sakura shrugged. "So I just figured I should dress up. You know, he had won those ticket things, free dinner for two or something –"

"Who the hell was it anyway?" he snarled, his eyes narrowing even more.

_Why do you care? _Sakura was really tempted to ask, but decided not to. "Just this friend. Sai. He's an art teacher." A disgusted grimace crossed Sasuke's handsome features.

"Art," he snorted. "That's for women."

"No, it's not!" she countered. "By the way, he's not homosexual if you're trying to say that. He just kissed my forehead, if you want to know."

_

* * *

Kissed her forehead?!_

Sasuke could feel his temper arising. _What the fuck? Why do I even care? But what the hell…_

"Maybe he was aiming for your lips," he muttered with a smirk, "but your forehead was so wide that he kissed your forehead instead." Dodging a well-aimed punch, he chuckled: "Quite the violent type, aren't you? It should be the other way around. Me being violent, you calming me down. Maybe _you _should go see a psychiatrist."

"Tch! I'm so talented that I can take care of myself," Sakura snorted. "And who said psychos had to be violent? You aren't violent! You're just an ice cube!"

He rolled his eyes. "Just because you talk too much. It's like your mouth doesn't know when it's supposed to shut!"

"Hey! I'm a psychiatrist! I'm paid to talk!"

"… That's why you became one to begin with?"

"Well, uh, I do like to talk – hey, wait, that's not what I was supposed to say! I mean, no!"

Sasuke smirked. "Contradicted."

"Who, me?! Hey! I'm your psychiatrist! You shouldn't insult me like that… you should've respect!"

"… Tch. Respect for you. Now that's something laughable."

"What?! Hey! Just because you're so… so… _respectless_!"

He arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And you've much respect?"

* * *

Naruto smiled for himself as he heard the half-bickering, half-teasing voices from inside the room, and then exhaled heavily.

_Sasuke-teme…_

_Sakura-chan…_

_What've you gotten yourselves into?_

A melancholy look crossed his features, as some bypassing nurses glanced at him, blushed, and then started to giggle and whisper; Naruto just ran a hand through his untidy, blonde hair.

"Naruto-kun?" he heard a familiar voice beside him utter quietly.

"… Hinata-chan?" He turned to the young woman beside him with the milky, soft eyes.

"Is anything wrong?" she asked, looking at him with worry.

"No, it's nothing." He laughed silently as he stepped away from the room's closed door, with the tiny window with bars, Hinata following him. "Hinata-chan… you worry too much about me for your own good. You're too kind."

A faint tint of pink appeared on the pale-eyed nurse's cheeks, and she bowed her head so that she stared at the ground – a familiar habit Naruto recognized from their adolescent days with a smile; her silk-like, long dark hair that looked just a little navy-colored fell down from her shoulders, and the strands that covered her forehead almost fell into her lovely eyes. "W-what are you saying, N-Naruto-kun… I'm not that kind…"

"Of course you are." He chuckled slightly as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You're my beloved kind Hinata-chan."

Her cheeks just turned redder. "Mou… Naruto-kun… we're still at work…"

He grinned. "True. You want more action when we come home?"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Just kidding."

* * *

"God! You're so stubborn!"

Sasuke's smirk only widened. "… I know."

Sakura rolled her eyes and fell in silence, as well as the raven-haired patient. Then, she asked quietly: "Do you think that meant something…?"

He frowned. "What meant something?"

"The… kiss?"

Sasuke seemed to be thoughtful for a while. Then, he said: "It probably meant something."

_

* * *

ARGH! Sasuke punched himself mentally. __Why the fuck did I say that anyway?!_Sasuke punched himself mentally. 

_Why do I even care?!_

* * *

"Really?" Sakura lit up. "Well, Sai's a nice guy. I don't think I'd mind dating him… so far he's just a friend, but you never know, I guess…"

"Hn."

Sakura stared, puzzled, at Sasuke. _He seems even angrier than usual. _"Anything wrong, Uchiha-san?"

Annoyed: "No."

"Oh." Silence. Then… "Are you mad?"

Grumpy, as usual. "No."

"Really?"

"… Hn."

Sakura heaved a sigh. "Uchiha-san, it's my job to see what's wrong with you. What are you so mad about?"

"I won't let anyone spirit you away," his voice blurted out, his tone irritated.

Sakura was taken aback by the comment at first; then, when her astonishment faded away, she smiled, recalling the previous day's events. "… Don't worry, Uchiha-san. I won't be spirited away too easily."

"Hn." His smirk resurfaced. "Good for you."

_

* * *

Wow. That sure was some experience._

Sakura yawned, stretching out her arms as she drank some of her vanilla hazelnut cappuccino. "Maybe I should call Ino and tell her about it," she said out aloud, her gaze wandering to the telephone on the wall of her kitchen. "But I bet she'd just start talking about me liking Uchiha-san or the other way around."

_Not that I'd mind that happening…_

Sakura felt her cheeks turn warm, and shook her head, as though wanting to shake off the thought.

_What am I thinking? I'm his psychiatrist! I'm there to help him… not to fangirl over him!_

Walking to her bedroom, she flopped down on the bed out of exhaustion. _Geez… not even coffee helps. I don't know why, but every time I've visited Uchiha-san, I get really tired and sleepy._

She felt her eyelids slowly close, and then darkness surrounded her. And as on cue, a raspy, icy voice murmured a too familiar word…

_Kill…_

_

* * *

_

Aah, I think I was going a bit easy on you guys, not letting you get some tension. But I'll promise you LOTS of tension and mystery soon... some fluff doesn't hurt, ne? Still stuck on chapter 8. Things are going a bit better now, and I'm getting loads of ideas... the problem is just how to write them...

And am also thinking about adding omake to my SasuSaku oneshot collection. Anyone other than me interested in making fun of Akatsuki and having AL watch Sailor Moon, Itachi getting upset about the lack of Kelloggs' cereal (UGH... I'm sorry all Kelloggs lovers, but I've had BAD experience of these), or seeing Suigetsu and Karin (new manga charas, sorry if I'm spoiling anything) fighting over watermelons?

* * *

**Reviews Corner (Wow! 120 reviews! You guys are awesome. Please continue to review, it makes my day to read them (be it good or bad :D)... so please click the lovely review button and review, pu-wetty puw-ease? -puppy... I mean kitty eyes-)**

**Shadowsakura321**: Thanks! And I just went to your profile to check it out; it isn't entirely ItaSaku, is it? While I enjoy ItaSaku, I'd much prefer it with ItaSakuSasu. o.x; But I could still give it a try if it is :)

**cookiesxnxcream: **Great! I love hating Orochimaru XD Glad that I could make others do the same. Lol. XD Sakura is such a Spirited Away addict ;) There should be treatment for Spirited Away addicts, no? XD Yes… Itachi is so evil in this story… T.T –bows for the great Itachi-sama- I'm sorry, Itachi-sama! I shall make you much more laughable in some kind of omake oneshot! –Itachi gets pissed off and blows me off the earth- Waaah… but thanks for the review:D

**Freedomstar999: **Sorry about that! o.x; Actually it's not a filler; it contains pieces of memories that are extremely important for the plot. But thanks for the review!

**honoring death: **Hahah, I know XD I love creating disorder. Like beginning from the middle, and take the beginning later. Or writing the first part of the end first. Lawl, weird dreams? Tell me! I just had this REALLY weird dream about being an art-thief chased by a police. Totally gave me inspiration to my new upcoming humor/action SasuSaku fic, Sweet Poison! And thanks for the review!

**HPBabe91: **Thanks! And oh yes! They were adorable! –squeals too- But right now… I want a Sasuke plushie… T.T (Beware my randomness. XD) Yes, I know! He's so hateable… -mutters- But wait… do you read the manga? Please tell me if you do. Oh my god. You do know what happened to Orochi a couple of chapters ago, right:D

**cherry blossom petals: **Update done! D Thanks… and you're great for reviewing:)

**Kaydreams: **Thank you, and so do I! XD I actually considered adding Orochi in this, ugh, I hate him (except Chibi Orochi – he's soooo cute)!

**pinky101: **Thanks:)

**Elizabeth M. Blackfeather: **Thanks:D

**SakuraDouble: **Thank you! ;)

**angel2559: **Here you go, next chapter:D What do you think? And thanks for the review!

**summerlover1: **Thanks! Heheh, well, I kind of got this idea in twilight (if you could call it twilight… have you ever seen it snowing in the middle of the night, the sky being this odd pink-red-amber color, and it's dark but still not?)…

**purplecherry5: **Actually not… -smiles, embarrassed- Heheh. Thanks for informing me! Nah, it's just that I write so much in the Reviews Corner the chapter ends up looking longer XD I actually write them in separate documents, but I blabber too much, that's why it ends up looking long but isn't. Sorry! And I updated! –makes a ta-dah! pose- :D Thanks for the review!

**Poet of the Moon: **Thank you:) I feel very flattered at such praise. And depends on what you mean. I don't think I'll change the current SaiSaku vs. SasuSaku (vs. NejiSaku, but that's not very serious… yet) triangle. I like both very much, though, but it's up to you to figure out which one I think I prefer the most! XD

**lilxcutexmonstah: **Wow, thanks:D And I updated… what do you think?? And tch, I doubt it'd be as bad as you say. Everybody always criticizes themselves too much…

**Kunoichi142: **Hebbi? –confused- Lol, well, I've grown fond of that little cute artist; he's changed since the beginning of Part II, so I really wanted to add him here. But thanks for the review!

**yukibozu: **Oh, KH3!!! When is it going to be released? (Even though I STILL have to finish KH1… bah… don't have the time…) I know! He's so adorable. Thanks for the review!

**frienz4ever: **Thanks:D

**Crazy Gal42: **Amazingly enough, once I had calmed down from the invasion of SasuKarin fans, I started to LIKE Karin just the slightest!! But she's adorable with Sui-chan. –daydreams- They're SOOOO cute! Read the latest chapter? I love to see them bickering. That's so adorable. Aww… that's so sad. You didn't save them elsewhere? And thanks for the review!

**paintupurple: **XD Next chapter's heeere! Tell me what you think! And thanks for the review!

**LoNeLy-GiRl14: **Thanks, and here it is!

**Heart's Door: **Wow, thanks a lot:D

**Mimi the Witch: **Thanks! And lawl… aren't cliffhangers evil… -smirks evilly- Thanks for the review!

**R o x a s G o e s Q u a c k: **Thank you:D

**ScarletNinja123: **Thanks!

**Think-chan: **Wow, thanks:D –hypnotizes you- You shall love SasuSaku… you shall love SasuSaku… nah, just kidding. I'm a bit hyper, sorry…

**XlOnELy-cHeRrYXbLoSSoMsX**: And the update's here! What do you think? Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Tsukiko's Ultimate Blah-Blah-Blah**

Random Topic of the Chapter: Cap'n Sasuke with his Emo Parrot!

I've just kind of thought recently (due to my sister's little speech about her friend's overly talkative parrot)... do parrots really get what they're saying? I don't think they do. And they say parrots are so intelligent. Pwah. And also. Just one thing that kind of got to me. It's a psychologic fact that people's personalities are influenced by their childhood... is it the same with animals, take parrots for example? Do parrots get all squeaky and happy when around hyper owners? Or all aggressive and silent with an emo owner? Then does it mean that all those pirate parrots were all evil? -imagines Sasuke having a parrot and bursts out laughing-


	8. Leave Me Alone

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I really, REALLY wish I did, though. T.T**

* * *

Important Author's Note!

Hey, guys! I've thought about it for a while, and I was wondering - do you want MORE descriptions or LESS? In my coming chapters, there'll be lots of descriptions (not too much, though) due to the fact that in Swedish class we had to read this part of Frankenstein, which totally inspired me to write long descriptions (even though the descriptions in Frankenstein are much more advanced... and IMO, the plot is boring).

So MORE descriptions or LESS? Please include in your review! Thank you so much!

* * *

**Chapter VIII: Leave Me Alone **

_I'll kill them all…, his raspy voice whispered maniacally in the telephone. Sakura's hand was shaking, but she was clenching the receiver with all her power, afraid to miss any part of his speech._

_It wasn't just something he said, she knew he was capable of doing it, too._

_How could somebody who was supposed to take care of her do so much harm? How could he? After all, he was her -_

_And don't tell that little friend of yours. I'll make sure to kill him too otherwise, give him the most painful death…_

_**Sa -! **__Sakura stifled a gasp. __She could hear his voice calling to her from outside the room. He wanted her to come out. She clasped a hand to her mouth, feeling nauseous as tears trickled down her cheeks in a tormented silence._

_Tomorrow, a subordinate of mine will come to you, he announced triumphantly. And then…_

… _you'll have to become his little doll._

_**You are beautiful –**_

_**- would you give it up for him, for Sa –**_

_**- or would you rather see him in pain?**_

_**I'd like to see you bleed. It'd be beautiful. Sinfully beautiful.**_

_The voice of the__ other man, sent shivers down her spine, and she threw up on the floor, even though her other fist was still clamped to the receiver. She could just make out the wicked cackle as she screamed: "LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

_Then, slowly, painfully… she passed out._

Sakura's eyes snapped open. She was breathing fast – too fast for her own good – and her entire body was covered in sweat.

_What was that… a flashback…?_

She had never had that kind of experience before. Sure, she had had some glimpses of her past, a couple of voices, rarely even a picture or a whole sentence that made perfect sense or seemed relevant in any way, that just seemed to be in place… but this was just not normal.

No, it was damn downright surreal.

_What __**was **__that? _she asked herself silently in her mind. _Whose voice was that? And… and…_

_**Would you give it up for him…**_

She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. But that _feeling _only resurfaced.

Nausea, fright, horror, worry, concern…

Wait, concern?

_But for who?..._

* * *

For once, Sakura decided to take the subway. It wasn't just because she didn't feel for driving – no, somehow, just the feeling of being somewhere crammed and hot didn't seem appealing to her right now. The large, free, chilly subway seemed like a nice change.

Even though seeing Sasuke was the last thing she wanted, Sakura knew she had no choice. To call in and say she was a sick was lying, and if there was one thing Sakura hated, it was lies. She only lied if she had to. When she didn't want to make people worrying, for example.

And even though she felt as though she would vomit again anytime, she said it was only a feeling. She WOULDN'T throw up, unless she gave in to the feeling.

And everybody knew how stubborn that girl was.

_That dream's still stuck in my mind…_

She felt even worse as she recalled it. Then…

"UH!"

A bolt of pain shot rapidly through Sakura's body. Crouching, she felt her entire body scream for her to run for her life as pictures flashed through her mind at an alarming pace; blood, screams, and then she saw a boy crawling on the floor, she saw the knife, she screamed, and her feet finally obeyed her to run, but not away, but towards the knife –

"Shit, Sakura!"

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts as she was thrown back to reality as somebody pulled her arm and she fell into extended arms that caught her as she was about to fall backwards instead of frontwards.

_Sai…_

Blinking, she realized that had Sai not caught her, she would've fallen into the gap where the electronic train was supposed to come.

_**You're there to catch me… catch me when I fall…**_

_**You shouldn't. I can… I can take care of myself. Watch me grow, Sa –**_

_**NO! LOOK OUT, SA –**_

_Blood splattered everywhere as he screamed in pain. Those crimson eyes were glimmering with malice as he continued to carve the tattoo into the boy's skin. Sakura was watching helplessly, sharing the boy's pain…_

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

* * *

Sai blinked, startled. "What?"

Sakura's face was sickly pale as she, with a horrified gaze, stared intently back into his own eyes. Her body was shaking in his grasp, and her eyes petrified; he had only seen that gaze from her once before –

_**S-Sai…?**_

_**Her face expression was undeniably frightened and frightening; never before had he seen her this way, she was usually so cheerful… so… so…**_

_**So untainted.**_

He shook his head. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

"Y-yes…," she muttered, averting her gaze away from him, so that he couldn't see her orbs; her voice was still trembling, but it sounded like she was trying to keep it in control. "It… nothing… nightmares… that's all…"

"Nightmares?" he repeated. He raised an eyebrow. "Sakura, are you having a fever?"

He attempted to put the palm of his hand against her forehead, but Sakura slapped it away, her eyes filled with utmost terror, a terror Sai could not fully comprehend. "No!"

* * *

_It's like every word… every touch… by any man…_

She shivered. Those crimson eyes… his sickening touch… the knife that caused the blood to drop to the floor, loudly, indiscreetly; he loved the sound… he wanted her to cry out of pain…

_What would've happened if –_

"_**Sakura-chan, run! He's too strong for you!"**_

"_**N… Na…"**_

"_**Sa – will help you get out of here! Now get the hell out of here before he catches you!"**_

She felt the urge to vomit again, and her vision blurred somewhat. Suddenly, a face appeared before her.

Soot-colored hair.

Onyx eyes.

_I've got to help him out of his darkness._

Sakura felt her determination defeat her nausea. No matter how bad she felt, she had to go to Sasuke. After all, the call that had woken her up this morning was about him…

**Flashback**

_Sakura was panting heavily and sweating rivers as she with shaking hands picked up the receiver. Her voice sounded unsure and clumsy as she stuttered: "H-Hello?"_

"_Haruno-san? Good morning. This is Uzumaki Naruto."_

"_Oh! U-Uzumaki-san… er, how may I h-help you?"_

"… _It's about Sasuke. His condition… it's worsening."_

**End Flashback**

_I want… no, I __**need **__to help him._

_But, he, too…_

She shuddered.

… _seems to possess those cold, indifferent crimson eyes…_

* * *

Sakura felt almost better by the time she had reached Sasuke's cell. The brutal and animalistic yells of those that shared the asylum together with her patient seemed to arouse some life-energy into her.

Inhaling and exhaling calmly three times, her breath only shaking the slightest, she put her trembling hand onto the door-handle, pushed it down firmly and opened it.

"Good morning, Uchiha-sa –"

An immediate pain shot through her veins at the speed of light. Clutching her head, voices and pictures flashed past in her mind, only showing themselves briefly only to disappear completely, not leaving the slightest trace of its contents. She readied herself to meet the icy, hard concrete floor when –

"Watch it."

A pair of strong arms had jerked her up, her face gently smashed into his hard, muscular chest. Memories crept to her mind at an almost frightening slow speed, as though pieces of a puzzle put together at last…

"_Do I always have to rescue you?"_

_She just grinned. "You're my guardian angel!"_

_**Guardian angel. But… I…**_

_**I don't want to be protected.**_

"_Who did this to you, Sakura?"_

_His voice was only trembling with controlled anger. She was shaking. This just wasn't him… those indifferent eyes, now filled with the purest blood-lust…_

"_TELL ME WHO!" he roared, making her stifle a gasp._

_**Because when he protects me…**_

"_Don't hurt her. Or I'll kill you."_

_A soft laugh. "I'd like to see you try."_

"_DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!"_

_He flung himself at the taller boy. Sakura wanted to shut her eyes, wanted to hide herself from reality; she knew he could never defeat him._

_But for her…_

'_**WHO DID THIS TO YOU?'**_

… _he would try._

_And he would lose._

"_AGH!" Sakura screamed along, joining his painful shriek. No, don't hurt him, don't… not for me… I… oh God, save me… save __**him**__…_

… _**he will get hurt.**_

_**So please…**_

_**Just leave me alone.**_

_**Leave me alone, Sa –**_

She widened her eyes; the throbbing pain in her head became clearer, until they melted together with her loud heartbeats – it was like each heartbeat was a wave that hit her, that sent her reeling…

… _or would you like to see him in pain?_

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed ferociously, almost madly – her eyeballs popped dangerously, as though they'd fall out of their sockets, and her nails dug into the skin of her skull as her grip of her head tightened, pulling out a couple of pink strands of hair in the process.

She pushed herself away from Sasuke, unable to push _him _away – staggering backwards, she only met his gaze briefly, which was filled of shock, before it too widened…

Her eyes filled with tears, and her vision blurred before she lost unconsciousness.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the fallen body of the woman before him. He knew he should call the nurses, make them take her to Hinata to be taken care of.

_**But that sentence…**_

"_Just… just leave me alone, okay?"_

"_Don't be such a bonehead, Sa -!" He was impatient. She was annoying. Why didn't she just tell him? She knew she could trust him! "You can't go alone! It's dangerous!"_

"_I'm SEVENTEEN, Sasuke, SEVENTEEN, not SEVEN! You don't have to protect me ALL THE TIME!"_

_He flinched. No '-kun', the yell, that wild glimmer in her eyes just now…_

_Her eyes betrayed her emotions. He could see the anxiety hidden beneath the façade._

"_Don't be silly," he snapped. "You're weak."_

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

… _**I've heard it… before… from THAT… that person…**_

"_JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY, SASUKE-KUN… GO AWAY!"_

_He gritted his teeth. He knew it. He had heard that voice._

_Only one person had __**that **__voice… and if __**she**__ was with him…_

_He could feel his rage blaze, his eyes unconsciously turning crimson as he clenched his fist so hard that his nails dug into the palm of his hand, causing blood to drip from the small injury._

… _**she was… afraid… and worried. She was always so… worried. About me.**_

"_Don't… leave me, Sasuke-kun…" Her voice was thick, her salty tears were falling fast, onto his face... he could __**taste **__them… her arms cradled around him, one of her cold hands resting on the burning pain on his neck…_

"… _Don't leave me…," she repeated in a mere whisper, her sobs the only sound in the room. "… and I won't leave you…"_

_**You lied… you said you'd never lie to me… you lied and said you'd never leave…**_

_**But you did. You left.**_

_**You left me, Sa –**_

"YAAAAAAAAARGH –"

* * *

"He kept screaming the words over and over again…"

Hinata frowned worriedly. _Bad signs. Oh, Sasuke-san, what torture are you putting yourself through?_

"What words?" she asked the nurse, her pearl eyes hinting at her sadness.

"Well…" The nurse seemed hesitant. "He kept screaming… 'you broke your promise'… or something like that… he was rather wild… shaking the bars like crazy… another patient doing that wouldn't have been surprising, but _Uchiha_-san… I wonder if Haruno-san's condition doesn't have anything to do with him."

"I'd doubt so." Hinata's frown deepened. "Sasuke-san never harms anybody physically." _At least, nobody he knows._

"But this psychiatrist seems different," the nurse insisted. "I mean… it seems like he knows her."

Hinata stiffened. "He does?"

"Yeah… the last thing he said before we paralyzed him was 'Sakura'… that's Haruno-san's name, isn't it?"

"Oh…" Hinata's tensed shoulders relaxed just a tiny little bit, and she prevented herself from wincing. _They're always so tense nowadays… something's going to happen. _"Don't worry, he hasn't harmed her physically. Her body shows no signs either, right?"

"Yeah… but…" The nurse hesitated. "The hypnosis, Hyuuga-san…"

"I know." Hinata's face expression darkened even more. "… I can only hope this psychiatrist will help him."

"Hyuuga-san, I'm afraid I must disagree. She doesn't seem very different from the others."

"That…" The tiniest fragment of a smile appeared on Hinata's lips, making them curl upwards just the slightest. "… we'll have to wait and see."

* * *

_Huh… where am I?_

Sakura's eyelids were heavy as she forced them to lift the slightest, revealing a very dimmed vision of what was supposedly a white ceiling.

_White..? But Uchiha-san's room is so dark…_

"Awake, Haruno-san?"

Sakura felt a pair of gentle arms helping her up slowly, but with a steady grip, as she sat up in the… bed?

"Ugh… w-where am I…?" she said with an exhausted voice as she rubbed her head.

She could swear whoever the person was, was smiling. "The asylum's little 'hospital', as we prefer to call it. Not that it is that advanced yet."

"H-hospital? I…" Sakura was thrown back to reality as she hurriedly stood up from her bed. "… but Uchiha-san…"

"Don't worry, he's fine. He can skip a psychiatrist's visit for today." The woman smiled at her; she had long, dark hair that had some bluish tone to it, and milk-colored eyes like…

"Are you Neji-san's relative?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Neji-onii-san? You know him?" Somehow, the woman didn't seem surprised. She was dressed in a nurse's outfit – a white jacket on top of a white turtleneck t-shirt, a white skirt that almost reached her knees and a pair of white low-heeled shoes.

"Oh… yes, we're… I mean, we used to be colleagues." She paused. "At Tsunade-sama's." Her emerald eyes were filled to the brim with curiosity she unsuccessfully was trying to hide as she tilted her head, still looking at the nurse. "So… you're his sister?"

A soft, melodic laugh escaped the nurse's lips. "No, I'm not. Neji-onii-san is my cousin; our fathers are twins."

"Okay…" Sakura smiled. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"You're welcome, Haruno-san."

Just then, somebody knocked on the door. "Hinata-chan?" Sakura recognized the voice as the boss'; but how come he was so familiar with the nurse…?

"Come in," Hinata's voice sounded harmonically; the door opened, just as Sakura had predicted, with the blonde Uzumaki standing in the doorway. The soft smile that had adorned his lips as he and Hinata exchanged glances faded away and was replaced by a more businesslike expression as his eyes landed on the pink-head.

"Haruno-san," he said with a serious voice as he walked towards her. "I heard you fainted, are you alright?"

"Yeah, of course I am," she laughed. "I just stayed awake too late last night, that's all."

He raised an eyebrow. "… Really?"

"Yes, I'm fully alright! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm quite aware you've heard of the state of the other psychiatrists Uchiha has had before by now -," he began, but was rudely interrupted by Sakura:

"Ah, it has nothing to do with it. I'm not mad yet, you know!" She grinned. His eyebrow just shot up higher.

"… You haven't thought, or seen, any strange things as of lately?"

_Nothing other than a raspy voice that keeps saying 'kill', weird flashbacks and feeling totally nauseous! Other than that, perfectly normal! _"No," she said with her most convincing happy-go-lucky tone.

He rolled his eyes, and for the first time in her company, seemed to relax. "You're just as stubborn as ever, Sakura-chan. Can't you stop lying and tell me the truth about you and Sasuke?"

Both stiffened; Hinata, whom had been looking through her papers, swiftly turned her head to see the scene. Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment, while the blonde's seem to shift through several emotions before he said with a stony, cold voice:

"I forgot you weren't 'Sakura-chan'. I'm sorry." And with those words, he exited. Hinata watched his back retreat silently, then walked towards the door, but before opening it, smiled sadly at Sakura:

"I'm sorry about Naruto-kun's behavior, Haruno-san. It's just a painful memory for him."

Sakura only stared after them, stunned. _A painful memory, huh…?_

"_**Sakura-chan! Let's eat ramen!"**_

"_**IDIOT! We've eaten ramen FIVE times this week already… Na -!"**_

… _all memories are painful…_

"_**Are you alright, Sakura-chan?"**_

"_**I'm fine, totally fine!" She grinned widely. "That can't be said about you, though… you're so clumsy!"**_

"_**But Sakura-chan is clumsier when she's around the bastard! At least I've never tried rollerblading before!"**_

"… _**Do you want to die early, Na –"**_

… _for me…_

"_**Tch! He's such an ice cube! You'll become frosty yourself soon, Sakura-chan! Like a snowflake!"**_

_**She giggled. "Well then, I'll try to melt him!"**_

"_**Sakura-chan, you'll have to use a meteorite-comet-torch-bonfire to melt the bastard!"**_

"_**What the hell is a meteorite-comet-torch-bonfire?"**_

"_**It's just the dobe acting like a dobe," a familiar bored voice commented. Sakura laughed.**_

"_**Hey, Sakura-chan! Why are you listening to Sa –"**_

"Ugh!" She clutched her head. "What was all that about…?"

* * *

"... Naruto-kun?"

Her voice was filled with worry as she neared her husband.

"Hinata-chan…" He turned towards her, looking utterly tired as he smiled. "… hey."

"… Do you want to be… left alone…?" she questioned quietly.

"No, not now, and never again." He kissed her cheek lovingly. "Hinata-chan…"

"You mustn't be so icy towards her, Naruto-kun… it's bad enough as it is…"

"Maybe." His voice became stern, as he grimaced. "I just don't know…"

Hinata made no sound, waiting for him to continue.

"… I really want her to remember. Maybe things could become normal again then, but I don't think they will." He paused, then said gravely: "But I don't _want _her to remember either, it's so painful, all of it. And the way bastard's become… there's still a rescue, though, but if Sakura-chan can't remember…"

"But if they keep suppressing their memories…," Hinata began in a low voice.

"… they will both become psychotic, yes," Naruto's voice finished heavily.

* * *

Waah! I'm so sorry! So sorry! -bows head- It's just that life's been so hectic, it's like I don't know how fast time's passing. When my sis went, 'Geez, time has gone real fast, I was supposed to be in Germany (she's on vacation) one week, I've been here a month!' I was like 'WTF? Has it been one month ALREADY?', and the weekends just fly by before I can say "STOP, PAUSE, REWIND, I WANT TO GO SHOPPING ONE MORE TIME AND THE GIRLS' NIGHT I TALKED ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO STILL HASN'T OCCURED YET!".

So as you can guess, I haven't really had the time to write. I've also lacked major inspiration... maybe because I'm stressing so much. The only times I haven't been stressing the recent weeks have been during the Fridays, when I've been with my sistahs, Cookie, Ash and Panda! (As I call them. Their real names are different, of course, but I come up with weird nicknames for all my friends, much to the dismay of my male ones.) We go out shopping every Friday - amazingly enough the only thing I've bought when with them have been a pair of sandals, but once we sit down to have some McDonalds/Espresso House, we're doomed, we stay there until there're 20 minutes left before the shopping center closes! (Hahah.)

But FINALLY I got some inspiration, so the last week I've finished writing THREE chapters! Whee! Guess why? Well, the Sakura trees in town are in full bloom... :)

* * *

**Reviews Corner (150 reviews! Please leave as much feedback as possible:D I love reading your reviews!)**

**honoring death: **Hahahah, thanks, and oh my god, I did the same thing too! (But with Contradicted - but it was not about jealousy, it was that he blurted out that he HAD saved her, and - god, can somebody stop me from ranting?) But no, it's okay, I love reading rants, so please keep on ranting if you wish:D

**cookiesxnxcream: **Update done! What do you think:D

**SakuraDouble: **Thank you:D Oh yes, I can totally see it in front of me... (**Naruto**: Bastard! **Sasuke**: Dobe. **Parrot**: Dobe. **Naruto**: Hey, that's two against one!)

**Freedomstar999: **Those questions shall be answered... later. -evil grin- And here's the update! ;D

**-Out-of-Inspiration-: **Thanks! Hmm? Dragging it out? Well, I was trying to shorten it as much as possible x.x; That was why I almost completely excluded Sai's and Sakura's date... originally, there was supposed to be more SaiSaku, in order to develop the couple some more.

**Kunoichi142: **Nauw, really? Well, the only experience I have of a parrot was an entire store staring at me when it started repeating, "HELLO MY NAME IS JACOB" 1000 times when I stood there, waiting for my mother to finish buying her goddamned flowers. XD; Childish? Spirited Away? It's a classic. It's kind of like Totoro; whether or not you're 4 or 14 or 24, if you're Asian and haven't watched it, it's like you've never watched Simpsons in the US, right (I think... at least it's like that in Sweden anyway)? But Sakura's a Spirited Away addict. ;D To be truthful, I only added Spirited Away because I like the name - 'spiriting' somebody away, I've just watched the movie thrice. XDDD And thanks for the review!

**pinky101: **And I love your reviews:D Please keep on reviewing!

**HPBabe91: **I KNOW! u.u; I so wanted to kill her back then. Now I want to make her and Sui-chan a couple. :D Wouldn't they be adorable together? Killing each other in the process. Mwahaha. Thanks! And baseball? Cool! We never play (or watch) baseball here. o.x; We've this wannabe-baseball-kind-of-game called brännboll ( literally burnball), but it isn't literally baseball. Oh, you dislike Sai? u.u; You should read Homebound by Gensomaden Saiyuki-san (okay, there's no -san there, I just add it because I admire her writing skills), I love him there. ;D UPDATE HERE:D

**Crazy Gal42: **81 and 82, huh? Hahah. Doesn't that mean you're getting close to 108 (soon), _the _SasuSaku episode:D At least it's better than here... no Naruto at all. o.x; I don't WANT to hear the Swedish dubs anyway, they'd scare the crap out of me. -shivers- And thanks again for the review:D

**xx-Tragic-Serenade: **-gasp- You must be a relative to Sasuke, then, as a crazy person! We've finally found you, Uchiha (Crazy) Tragic Serenade:D Okay, sorry, I'm acting a bit weird after too much chocolate. x.x; Ugh. Thanks for the review!

**frienz4ever: **Updated ;) Thanks for the review!

**shadowfox908: **Here's the next chapter, tell me what you think:) Thanks for the review!

**yourdarkdesire: **I should be the one thanking you for reviewing:D Here's the next update!

**Ai-chan13: **Thank you:D

**purplecherry5: **Thank you! Omelet, huh...? I'll check it out when I've got time. ;) Sounds like cooking? Hey! I was going to use cooking in my SasuSaku crackfic! XDDD ... Oh well. It isn't Sasuke teaching Sakura to cook, right? o.x; (Because that was my idea - I have to think of a new idea if that's the case XD; )

**Mimi the Witch: **Thank you:D Hahah, same here. If I had a parrot, its favorite words would probably be 'randomness', 'icecream' and 'die, bitch!'... strange combo, and then it'd be so hyper it'd try to escape and then get so emo it would sit there and go all emo-ish. xD

**paintupurple: **Yes, I know, wouldn't that be lovely? Nauw... poor Sai. :P He's not very liked, it seems! Haha. I've a tendency to make him unhappy in my SasuSaku fics, the poor thing. But you nevre know... ;D And thanks:D

**angel2559: **Thank you:D

**MELCAR17: **Thanks ;)

**lilxcutexmonstah: **Hmm... well... I still find it hard to believe you! It's just like that time one of my friends said he sucked at drawing, and I had to bribe him to show me his drawing in art class, and it was soo beautiful! But anyway, here's the update and thanks for the review:D

**LoNeLy-GiRl14: **Updated again, what do you think:D

**yukibozu: **Hahah, my mom does too, but I got it from my dead boyfriend :P From his parents, as a last gift - it was one of his most prized possessions, so she couldn't really say no, I guess :) Which is good, since he loved (loves) KH too. Yes, it is a love triangle indeed :) Even though I focus more on SasuSaku. Suspense? Ah... then you don't have to wait too long. ;) Thanks for the review!

**cherry blossom petals: **Done:) Thanks for the review!

**XXRedWolfXX: **I'm glad you do! Thanks:D

**Heart's Door: **Ah, sorry, sorry. I just haven't had the time to proof-check, and I'm too busy (and lazy x.x; ) to find myself a beta reader. o.x; The repetitive part was caused by dad's computer, tho, I thought it had stopped doing that now, but apparently not... -mutters- But no author's perfect, ne? And the Author's Note - I apologize for that, I've stopped doing that now, I just found it necessary because another reviewer (in another fic) commented on my overusing of Japanese words though there's no need to it, so I just had to write it there as I think not many read my Author's Note after the actual chapter. x.x; Sorry!  
Lengthen each scene? Well, I was afraid of making you guys bored... the actual date was supposed to include more conversation and stuff, but I found it pointless because it's just some minor fluff which is merely hinted at, and making more intense SaiSaku was useless as it was supposed to be a surprise that he kissed her forehead, thus emphasizing the change in their platonic relationship, and I also change the scenes rapidly because I often find myself bored when I read a scene for too long a time, changing scenes rapidly makes you wonder what happens next (IMO). And as for the things that COULD have happened, except for the SaiSaku date - do you have any more suggestions? Because I myself couldn't find any, so out of pure curiosity I'm just wondering, because most of the other scenes are supposed to hint the past without having to describe it fully. The past will be a major difference to the current scenes now, though... I was thinking of your request (and then there was that Frankenstein thing too) and made the descriptions a bit longer, I just hope they aren't too long now x.x; Just a warning, though. The longer the scenes/descriptions, the longer it'll take for me to update. xD;  
Oops. This review response was VERY long. XDDD

**icygirl2: **It's okay, I know how it feels - I must apologize for MY late update! x.x; It feels like I hardly have any time to sit down, breathe and take a glass of ice tea or juice, and when I do, I stare at the clock and go "OH SHIT! IT HAS ALREADY BEEN AN HOUR!oneoneeleven!" (okay, not REALLY) and have to run off somewhere again. Thank you and the same to you! ;)

**JadeXOnyx-4ever: **Thank you :D I'm glad you like it!

**shadow angel 101: **Thank you:) Haha, it's confusing, I know. Sometimes I get confused myself, because sometimes I change my ideas... I've already changed the plot five times now, and I mean major plot events. Wait... what am I ranting on about? Sorry, I'm so tired I barely know what I'm writing... xD;

**Serenity Fey: **The names break off because they can't realize who they are yet. :) How do you think Sasuke will react if he remembers it's Sakura? The reason why he doesn't recognize her will be revealed later (here I merely hint at it). But thanks:D

**riverbreeze: **Thanks! Yes, I do hate her a lot too. :( No, no, don't give up hope yet! Kishi-chan said there'd be more love in Part II, and please, please, PLEASE don't say you think it'll be NaruSaku! What'll happen to poor Hinata-chan? She obviously hasn't gotten over her crush on Naru-chan yet!

**PerfectionsInTheEyes: **Thank you very much:D I'm glad you love it. I've now updated... what is your opinion? ;)

**greenishsunset: **Thanks:D

**danielie: **Thanks:D And don't worry, I love long reviews. Please keep on reviewing:D

**XsakuraroxX: **Thanks, and hahahah, of course:D As mentioned before: (**Naruto**: Bastard! **Sasuke**: Dobe. **Parrot**: Dobe. **Naruto**: Hey, that's two against one!) ;D A random comment: I'm so sleepy that I almost thought your name was sakura**sux, **and I was like WHAT? And then... oh... _rox_, well that's so much better :D Sorry, just a random comment.

**Thanks so much for the reviews... I'm sorry if the replies were weird or something, I'm so sleepy now I could just fall asleep on the spot, which I can't because I still have to study for that goddamned test tomorrow night. x.x; Either way, please leave a review and have a very nice day. Thank you!**

* * *

**_Fanfiction Coming Up!_**

**Bittersweet Facade **(NaruHina)

In the game, he was a savior, a winner, a hero, and she the gifted warrior singer - in reality, he was the one who needed to be saved, a loser, a nobody, hated for his father, the infamous assassin known by the codename Kyuubi, and she the mute daughter of the president, hated by countless others for the cruel ruler known as her father, including _him_ - but all of that was only a facade.

**Inspiration: **I was really bored one _Saturday _evening when one of my friends had cancelled our girls' night. So I sat in front of the TV by myself and flicked through the channels, doomed with boredom, when I saw this interesting program about WoW addicts... I've never played an online RPG myself, but I was suddenly really inspired! So for the first time, I decided to write a NaruHina fic with ONLY SasuSaku HINTS! That's the first time I write a multi-chapter story with SasuSaku as a side-pairing and not the main one. What do you guys think?


	9. Destiny Fulfilled

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, no matter how badly I wished I did...**

* * *

**Due to some problems in my email (including a friend hacking into it), I've changed my email to tsukikonoyuki (it's still gmail, though). So if anybody has Private Messaged me, or emailed me, please do so again!**

* * *

**Chapter IX: Destiny Fulfilled**

'Er, um, Uchiha-san… you've a visitor…'

The nurse's voice was quivering and she whimpered pathetically as his cold eyes focused on her, narrowing.

'Who?' he snarled menacingly. The nurse looked like she was resisting the urge to scream and run for her life.

'Uh… I… I don't know his name, U-Uchiha-san…'

Uchiha Sasuke's eyes narrowed even more. '_His_?'

'Geez, relax, Uchiha. You're just as tense as ever, aren't you?'

His eyes widened just the slightest, then turned into mere slits of pure anger and hatred. 'You,' he spat. 'What're you doing here?'

His voice was clear as crystal as the milk-skinned boy stared blankly back: 'I'm here to ask you what you're doing with Sakura and her mind.'

* * *

'Sakura-saaaaaan!' 

Sakura halted on her way through the corridor, turning around in astonishment as she stood face to face with a familiar man with a shiny bowl-shaped haircut and extremely thick eyebrows, his green jumpsuit indiscreetly hinted at underneath the white coat uniform.

'Lee-san,' she greeted back with a trace of a smile. 'Hi, I haven't seen you for quite some time.'

'I didn't expect you to come,' he panted as he stopped abruptly in front of her after his sprinting from the other way of the hall. He then stood up properly after having bowed down in exhaustion, reaching out one arm with the thumbs up. 'But I knew you would!'

She grinned. 'You're as goofy as ever, Lee-san.'

'Goofy?' He looked surprised. 'I'm serious!'

She only laughed softly in response. 'How's it going around here, anyway?'

'Terrific! Neji just managed to break the record, his patient became fully normal after 10,35 minutes!' If it had been a cartoon, Sakura could've sworn Lee would have had flames of fire burning in his eyes. Her grin widened at the thought. 'Yosh! I shall beat his record, and if I can't, I will work non-stop for forty-eight hours!'

'Lee… the clinic isn't open all night,' she reminded him with a chuckle. 'I just came here to collect some papers, but I can't find Tsunade-sama anywhere. Where is she?'

'Tsunade-sama is off treating a patient who has a special phobia that forbids him to leave his home,' Lee responded seriously.

'Another one of the Sound Five?' Sakura heaved a sigh, as Lee's abnormally thick eyebrows shot up.

'You know about them, Sakura-san? But of course! The spring of youth that burns in your soul has made you aware of the situation!' Tears ran down his cheeks dramatically. 'How wonderful, Sakura-san!'

'No… Tenten told me,' she informed him carefully. _I __Sai__ not to introduce that weird teacher from the school… they even looked like they were relatives… _"The Siamese twin brothers, the girl who swore in every sentence, the ex-sumo-wrestler and…' She paused, thoughtful. 'There was another one…'

'Kimimaro,' Lee told her, now serious. 'I was his psychiatrist.'

'Oh…' Sakura's eyes were filled with sympathy. 'I heard he was…'

'He had a deathly illness, yes.' Lee looked mournful as he stared at some distant point in the air. 'He committed suicide before he could die… wanted to shorten the pain, no doubt.'

'I still don't get it, though…,' Sakura said silently. 'How did the five of them just become psychotic? I heard they were an excellent band, although very touchy and grumpy, they were excellent singers and the crowd loved them. Not entirely healthy with their bitter pasts, but still…'

'It was,' Lee's voice was grave as he pronounced every word clearly and with utmost cautiousness, 'Orochimaru.'

'Oro… chi.. maru…'

Sakura repeated the words as though she was being hypnotized. A strange feeling shot through her body at the speed of light; hatred? But… Sakura had never hated anybody…

_Don't come, __Don't. He's after you… he wants to kill you… he wants to… _

'Ugh!' Sakura clutched her head. 'Ow…'

'Something wrong, Sakura-san?' Lee asked urgently. 'Shall I take you to the nurse? Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want a glass of water?'

'Oh no… don't bother, Lee, it was just a little headache…' She smiled convincingly.

But there was something about that name that made her cringe…

_Orochimaru__…_

* * *

Sasuke's eyes darkened completely, before they turned the color of blood. 'What're you talking about?' he snapped. 'Sakura who?' 

'Haruno Sakura, you dork.' He went closer to the cell. 'The pink-haired, green-eyed, idiotic, ugly hag who's your psychiatrist.'

'Ha… runo… Sa… Sakura…,' he repeated, his face paling. The man's eyebrow just went farther up.

'Yes. Don't tell me you don't know she's Sakura?' He rolled his eyes. 'C'mon. Who wouldn't recognize that pink hair?'

'She's… Sakura…,' he repeated again, seemingly oblivious to what he said. 'Sa… Sakura…'

'Yes, Ha-ru-no Sa-k-u-ra,' he pronounced slowly. 'Didn't you realize?'

'She's… she's not!' he roared savagely, his eyes bulging threateningly, as though about to pop out of their sockets as his hands clutched the bars of the cell, rattling them violently. 'You're lying! You've always been lying! She's not Sakura… she can't be… Sakura… SHE'S DEAD!'

* * *

_'__Haruno__, it's me, __Uzumaki__ Naruto.__ I wanted to inform you that due to a special meeting concerning __Uchiha__ Sasuke, your appointment is to be delayed until 5 __p.m__…'_

_Appointment delayed again, _Sakura thought as she stared at her telephone. _There's something wrong about this._

She stared out of the window, before sighing. _Might as well phone Ino and ask her about what's going on with her and __Shikamaru__; I bet she's skipping work again._

Switching on the computer, she picked up her wireless phone and dialed a familiar number…

* * *

'SAI!' 

A voice interfered as Sai opened his mouth to reply. The blue-eyed blonde man rushed towards them, an utterly bewildered look on his face containing… anger… and… fright? Sai couldn't tell. He had never been able to observe emotions, as Sakura, only to copy them into his mind and onto a paper.

'Naruto,' he stated calmly. 'Nice to see you again after all those years.'

'Don't play around,' Naruto snapped very uncharacteristically. 'What're you doing?!'

'SAKURA'S DEAD! YOU'RE… YOU'RE LYING… YOU CAN'T…. SHE'S…' Sasuke now looked wilder than ever; but now there was also terror printed into his face.

'Quick!' Naruto yelled to a group of half-curious, half-frightened nurses in a corner, who now started as he shouted. 'Over here and paralyze him!'

'Y-yes, sir!' they stammered in chorus as they rushed over to the scene. Naruto turned back to Sai, furious.

'What do you think you're playing at, Sai?'

'You don't have to be so mad. I only questioned Sakura's mental health, stating that she was his psychiatrist. Didn't he know?'

'Of course he didn't.' Naruto's eyes were filled with raw anger. 'If you had even bothered to check, you would've known –'

'Why would I?' Sai's eyes flashed dangerously, now also becoming sharper as Naruto's. 'After all… he was the one who caused Sakura's amnesia.'

* * *

'- and then he just said it was too troublesome! Can you believe it? The nerve of him!' Ino burst out. Sakura only rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure that Ino was making a bigger deal out of it than it actually was; she usually became overdramatic when retelling an event, getting more excited by retelling it than going through it at first. 

Letting Ino to continue to babble on about her date with Shikamaru, she opened Internet Explorer, eyeing the latest news on _Konoha__ Times_' webpage. _Hyuuga__, Possible __Hitman__ Hirer? _was written as a big headline in the gossip section. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

_Isn't __Hyuuga __Neji__-san's surname?_

Clicking on the link, she found herself reading with reluctant interest, only mumbling, 'mm', 'sure' now and then as Ino continued to blabber on, not even noticing Sakura's lack of interest.

_Brought to you by __Sabaku__ no __Temari_

_We all know of the __Hyuuga__ Company; it has developed everything, from high-tech computers to handy accessories for expecting mothers. But is its success really based on the quality of the products?_

_Approximately seven years ago, the __Uchiha__ Company was terminated when it had successfully reached the top and defeated __Hyuuga__ Company in popularity.__ However, their domination as Japan's number one didn't last long as the family-run company soon collapsed._

_Now, history repeats itself as Clearwater, the new rival of __Hyuuga__ Company, starts to fall down due to unidentified threats. 'We feel especially threatened by __Hyuuga__ Company,' the head of Clearwater, John Johnson says, 'last meeting they said something about taking us down…'_

Sakura snorted; she knew that journalist well; it was Gaara's older sister Temari. She was known for her ridiculous articles, which still attracted great attention; many admired her writing ability, many others believed her. But just as many as those two, and even more, laughed at her articles.

_But…_

'Ino,' she suddenly interrupted her friend, who had started ranting on about a new cocktail dress she had seen while on her date, 'Do you know where Neji-san lives?'

* * *

'Listen, Sai,' Naruto hissed through gritted teeth. 'You're not going to talk about Sakura in front of Sasuke. Got it?' 

Sai frowned. 'Who're you to boss me around? I can say whatever I like –'

'No, you won't. Because I'm head of this asylum, and you're just a plain visitor, so you can't go around breaking our rules.' Naruto paused to let the impact of his words sink into Sai's mind – an effect which clearly didn't work on said man – 'And you shouldn't worry too much. She's surrounded by high-level psychiatrists and nurses in this asylum, we're constantly analyzing her mental and physical condition –'

'And yet,' Sai remarked dryly, 'Six psychiatrists have already become insane by dealing with Uchiha Sasuke.'

Naruto silenced. Then, almost so quietly that Sai could barely make out the words, 'Seven was Sakura-chan's favorite number.'

Then it struck him.

_She's the seventh psychiatrist… it was seven years since __… the hypnosis –_

'- lasts seven months,' he muttered hoarsely. He looked at Naruto, wide-eyed. 'It can't be..?'

'As Neji would have said,' Naruto said gravely, 'Maybe it was destiny.'

* * *

Sakura looked about nervously. _These are the __Hyuuga__ grounds? But –_

Our dear pink-haired heroine stood in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by very traditional-looking houses. But there was one peculiar thing about the large place…

_- __it__ looks completely deserted._

'Stop right there in your tracks, missy,' a stern voice barked, making Sakura jump. Stifling a gasp, she twirled around to find a pearl-eyed man stomping towards her angrily. 'If you're here for the news, well, newsflash for you, but they're _false_. And no, you may not interview Hiashi-sama or Hizashi-sama,' he interfered as Sakura opened her lips to talk. Sakura flushed.

'Well, uh… I'm not a journalist,' she said carefully. 'I wanted to meet Hyuuga Neji-san.'

'Neji?' The man's anger disappeared. 'Oh. Well, wait a mo', will you?' He turned around and shouted towards the house behind him: 'Oi! Neji! Your girlfriend's here!'

'She's not my girlfriend,' a familiar voice muttered. Sakura felt her heart beating faster as a man with long, brown hair stepped out of the house. 'Tenten, what're you doing here anyw – oh, Sakura.'

Sakura frowned. _Neji__ and __Tenten __are__ an item? They never said that! But that's not important now… _'Hi, Neji-san. I've a favor to ask you.'

'A favor?' he repeated blankly. 'Depends on what. Go ahead and tell me.'

'I want you,' she pronounced every word clearly, almost painfully clearly, 'to tell me what you know about Uchiha Sasuke.'

Neji felt his body turn to stone.

* * *

Waaah! I' m so sorry for the late, late update. But I've made a pact, see - I can't update unless I've finished a chapter (which is always two chapters ahead). So right now, I'm done with the eleventh chapter after two months' brainstorming and lack of inspiration, and I'm finally, if not very much, then at least little, get part of my long lost imagination gone. 

Firstly, I just want to say, HAPPY 200 REVIEWS! I think you guys are tired of hearing me rant on about this, but do you even realize how happy I get when reading every review? Even though I've had lack of inspiration for so long, that hasn't kept me from reading your reviews, and I love them! I'm so sorry for my late update, though, again. But I want to do my best when I publish a chapter here - not just some randomly written chapter I forced myself to write, with no feeling and no enthusiasm whatsoever.

It's crazy shit, though. Even though it's the summer holidays, it's like the hectic days for me never end. When it's not hectic at all, when I don't have a place to rush to or some friend to meet, I get so lazy and tired I can hardly stay awake while I'm watching Grey's Anatomy or Prison Break by myself in front of the computer or the TV. And now when the computer I normally use has crashed and everything I've saved in it (with, thankfully, the exception of Fear of the Light and some other newer fanfics) is lost, I'm even less in the mood of writing.

But anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully, a new one will come soon... as soon as I can figure out what I should do for Sasuke's and Sakura's past. I'm trying to collect everything I've written in their flashbacks so far and make it whole, but it's kind of difficult to do that without giving you unnecessary details. So what I've been thinking is, is it better if I just skip some unimportant flashbacks that're just unimportant fluff? Or else more than half of the fic will consist of their past, and I think you're more interested in what's going to HAPPEN than what's already HAPPENED, no? I'm not making it rushed, either. I just don't think you'll be pleased to read on and on and on about fluff ALL THE TIME...

Good news, though. If you're interested in other AU fics I'm writing, Bittersweet Facade is going to be published after this, and I'm working on The Day After Tomorrow, a more chicklit-like SasuSaku AU that's kind of reminiscent of my first fic ever, This Is Not My First Time, but somewhat better, at least in my opinion.

* * *

**Reviews Corner (200 reviews! LOVE YA LOVE YA LOVE YA LOVE YA! x3)**

**Thanks, everyone:D Reading your reviews always make me happy. So feed the review monster your reviews! Rawr!**

**HPBabe91: **Yes... yes... the angst is killing us, eating us, frying us, boiling us,... errr... ANYWAY! It's eating us from within! Fear the angst! -death from too much angst- :D Sorry, I'm being a bit hyper. That's the result for eating too much apple cake with chocolate sauce XD HOT GUY? WHO WHO WHO WHO? Hmm... well, I guess that's true. But I'm not exactly grieving, either. But... but... GRIVEING GIRLFRIEND IS MUCH LONGER THAN WIDOW... . (The word, I mean.) Ooh, really? So you're dating now:D Thanks for the review:)

**Serenity Fey: **Thank you:D I'm glad you enjoyed it. No, it's okay, my almost-to-be boyfriend died in a motorbike accident (well, he was riding his bike and then he got hit by a motorbike). But thanks again, here's your update:D

**Elizabeth M. Blackfeather: **Thank you, I love your reviews! Here's the update you asked for! ;)

**bipolar nekko wolf: **Thanks, I will. :) And keep reviewing!

**yukibozu: **Kind of what I'm doing now, haha. :D But yeah, I agree with you, guys can really suck sometimes... but then again, there're lots that don't. You just have to get to know them better, and then you'll realize they were better than I thought. And some others, well, you'll find out they're assholes anyway. Boy troubles, huh? I can help you, if you like... not that it's any of my business anyway, but if you want to :P Why don't you have the nerve to post it? Post it:D I'd like to read it! Well, here's your update... thanks for the review:D

**Kunoichi142: **No, you aren't wasting my time! Wow... a heart attack. That's huge; I've been through that once (not the actual heart attack, I mean... seeing a precious person having it), that's really horrible. But thanks:D Yes... it's so sad to have a hot person being evil... but at the same time, it makes him hotter in some strange badass evil kinda way ;D Poor, poor Sai. Hated because he was not Sasuke, and he was trying so hard... -sniffles- (Sai: I'm not dead yet! What the heck are you sniffing for?!) Hahaha, well, aren't we all crazy :D Welcome to the club! Thanks for the review!

**angel2559: **Here the update is: what do you think:D Thanks for the review!

**Freedomstar999: **Thanks:D

**frienz4ever: **Naruto's voice? o.O In the anime? Thanks for the review!

**Aiyo Rei: **I will, and thanks:D

**cherry blossom petals: **Thank you:D Well, Bittersweet Facade is posted right after this, so there'll be two updates for you to read, haha :D I hope you enjoy them!

**Myztical Star: **Thanks:D

**reader-not-a-reviewer: **Wow, I made a not-reviewer review:D Thanks, here's the update, I hope you like it! -munches on the pie-

**Poet of the Moon: **Thank you:D Bittersweet Facade is posted right after this, if you want to read it. n.n Yay! I'm a widow on a philosophical level:D It's just that using the word 'widow' is so much easier than to say 'a person who has lost their almost-to-be-boyfriend'... that's a very long word, if you can even call it a word o.O

**Crazy Gal42: **Well, I'm becoming 14 in about three weeks, so well, I'm almost as old as you :P Thanks :D The Swedish dubbing? Yeah, definitely! It's the same voices in every single anime (they don't have many voice actors...), from the first Swedish anime I watched (Sailor Moon, when I was about 3-5 years old) to the last anime I watched (YGO, when I was about 11-12), they've used the same voices!! I don't want to hear Sasuke's voice, or anybody else's voice for that matter, be destroyed after having watched the entire anime with the original dubs (Japanese)... I don't think he's gonna die in the 4th movie though, or else it'd just be... SAD. T.T I hope Sasuke will be included in the 4th movie, after his absence in the 2nd and the 3rd. The trailer, you mean? Already saw it. :D Here's the update! And thanks for the review!

**aweqt4: **Hmm, we'll see. ;) Hahah. Actually, I've still not decided about the ending yet. I used to have an ending ready in my mind, but after reediting the fic's plot a few hundred times, I'm not really sure anymore. Thanks for the review, anyway:D

**Kiwako: **Yeah! I hope I don't totally destroy the NaruHina chemistry in my fic, though. It's my first NaruHina ever! It always used to be fluff in my past stories, never the main couple. But thanks:D

**summerlover1: **Thank you:D

**danielie: **Thanks! Well... I haven't really decided the ending yet, so I've no idea how it's gonna end :D For all we know, I could kill the characters off, or I could make them happy for the rest of their little lives. You never know, haha XD Thanks, and here's your update:D

**CrAzY-SiLLY-Me: **Scary, huh? Thanks :D

**XXRedWolfXX: **I will, and I'm glad you like it:D Thanks!

**Mimi the Witch: **I agree with you, whole-heartedly. :D Thank you, and here's your update ;)

**lasuclien4: **Hmm? Events about Naruto:P Anyway, thanks for the review!

**jami16: **Thanks:D And here's the update, what do you think?

**runwithskizzers: **Wow... I'm sorry to hear that. But heh, I guess you're right. It's just that, it's so much easier saying widow, than saying 'somebody who lost her almost-to-be-boyfriend'... but anyway, I'm glad you like the story:) And thanks for the review!

**seyrarm-chan79: **Thanks! And I updated, what do you think? ;)

**Shadowsakura321: **Glad you do ;)

**Purplecherry5: **Mwahahaha! I made you ask questions n.n -evil grin- As for your questions, as I guess you were expecting, I won't spoil anything, even though I wish I could. XD I read Damn Omelet and reviewed it! It's good, really funny. :D Poor, poor Sasuke! Thanks for the review!

**SakuraDouble: **Thank you:D

**paintupurple: **Yay! It's finally the summer holidays:D Reminiscing makes you sad, that's the bad part of going to visit old friends, old places, reliving old stuff... publish a book before you're 15?! Wow, somebody's really ambitious :P My plan is to publish a book before I hit twenty. Hahaha... I'm sorry to hear about your cat though, but it's good that you like to talk about it, in my opinion, it always feels so much better talking about stuff, whether it's stuff that makes you happy or stuff that makes you sad. In this case, I guess it's both:) But thanks, here's the next chapter:D

**missysillivan: **Thank you:D

**Jester08: **Thanks, I will :)

**Kakurine IL: **Thank you:D

**Tac03e11hp: **Thanks, here's the update :D

**helena-adalia: **Thanks:D

**SomethinSpecial: **Thank you!! n.n

**greenishsunset: **Wow! I inspired somebody! n.n Nah, I'm very interested in psychology though, hahah. Thanks for the review!

**sasukeXsakura25-Aku-Tenshi: **Really? Thanks:D

**popcornluvr14: **Wooow... that was looong :D But I luv your review! Thanks!

**Ceritheya: **Thank you!

**SaphireGloom: **Thanks! n.n

**young-love: **Thanks:D I'm glad you like it!

**Mitsuko Nozomi: **Thank you! Here's the update:)

**I just don't know how to thank you guys enough for your feedback! I mean, there're times when I just want to give it up, I just look at the fanfic, raise an eyebrow and go, 'This will NEVER fucking work, I just can't get any inspiration', and then I just read your reviews and I go like, 'Maybe I shouldn't give it up after all'... it just feels like thanking you all individually, thanking every single reviewer, just isn't enough... and that's why I'm writing this lame thanks speech, heh, never been good at making speeches, but well... I should stop ranting, shouldn't I?**

**

* * *

**

**Tsukiko's Ultimate Blah-Blah-Blah**

Random Topic of the Chapter: The Rant of a Cali-Wannabe

There're dozens, hundreds, millions of wannabes out there. Celebrity wannabes. Artist wannabes. Insert-a-music-genre wannabes. Wannabe-wannabes. And the list goes and on, and on, and on... most of us have been wannabes too. Whether it's been a secret dream or a complete change of personality and style, most of us have dreamt of being somebody or something we can't entirely be.

Me? Well, I happen to be a Cali-wannabe.

I mean, it's not like I dislike Sweden or anything. I mean, I love the city I live in, even if it's so pathetically small even for being a supposedly big city: but I love it anyway. It's like a miniature, lamer version of big cities like Paris, Hong Kong, Taipei, Amsterdam... but I still love it. I mean, it's really great living here once you get accustomed to it (which I should be, considering how I grew up here). But it's just not... cities I dream of. Like N.Y (yes, I KNOW it's not in Cali) or Los Angeles - two of the most mentioned cities here. A lot of the people I know dream of going to the U.S when they grow up, especially Cali - it's just that Cali shows up everywhere: on the news, in the movies, in the TV-series, in the music, even in the books.

For god's sake, there is a reason why the Red Hot Chili Peppers have a song called Californication. (Blame my English teacher for showing us this song. It got permanently stuck in my head ever since, except for that one time when I thankfully got rid of it, only to have Fall Out Boy's Thanks for the Memories get stuck. Damn my best friend. Why can't they leave a hiphop lover alone without pestering her with other music genres?)

The thing is, I've never been to Cali, or the U.S, at all. I really wanna go there (I'm so jealous of my best friend - she gets to be a transfer student in Cali when we start senior high)... and I know you shouldn't just judge by what you see on TV, it's just stereotypical stuff. But still, wherever you, who's reading this, live, don't you just sometimes you lived somewhere else too? It's not like I'm trying to suggest you're UNHAPPY with the environment - but don't you just sometimes feel like it'd be SO cool living _there or there_, whether it's for a year or for the rest of your life?

Don't you wanna be a Insert-The-Place-You-Want-To-Go-To wannabe too?

* * *


	10. Say My Name

** Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, but I think that's pretty clear, considering how if I owned Naruto, I'd not be here writing fanfics. I'd instead alter the plot so that SasuSaku would become canon NOW.

* * *

**Chapter X: Say My Name**

'… What?' Neji repeated, even though he had just heard everything Sakura just had said; it wasn't much, and she had spoken clearly. Yet… he hadn't expected to hear that sentence…

_At least not just yet._

Sakura repeated the question.

'I…' Neji paused, choosing his words carefully. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

_Completely see-through, _he realized, cursing himself for his idiocy. _Of course, I shouldn't think of the worst… Naruto would only tell her under special circumstances. The most natural reason would be to find out more about __Uchiha__, an__d the __Hyuuga__ clan__ is connected to__ the__Uchiha__s__…_

And very much as he had suspected, Sakura's frown had increased as she had said: 'Don't pretend, Neji-san, I know you know something about Uchiha-san, and I need to know it.'

His gaze was sharper than his tone as he looked back into her eyes. He could feel her cringe at his intense, piercing eyes. 'Why would you _want_ to know?'

She smiled mischievously. 'So you _do _know. Well, Neji-san… Uchiha-san's condition is worsening and I need to know everything about him in order to cure him.' She hesitated, then continued: 'And there's something fishy going on, I can feel it. You're hiding something.'

'No, I'm not,' Neji said in a very controlled voice. 'As for Uchiha Sasuke, he's just a member of the Uchiha clan.'

'There's more. He's a pretty famous psychopath, you know.'

'I don't specialize in doing research on psychopaths; I specialize in healing them.'

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. 'Neji-san…'

'I apologize, Sakura. I don't have much to tell you.'

'You know something else.'

'You're being paranoid.'

Sakura laughed softly. 'Don't be silly, Neji-san, I'm a psychiatrist too, you know. I know you're hiding something from me.'

'… Fine.' Neji silenced, only the sound of the wind filling their ears until he finally said: 'I just tell you to stay away.'

'Stay away?' Sakura looked slightly offended. 'Neji-san, I can take care of myself –'

'And never tell him your name. Never.'

'… Huh?'

'I'm sorry, Sakura, but I've got to go,' he muttered as he started to walk away.

'Hey – wait – Neji-san!'

But Neji was already gone.

* * *

_Sakura…_

Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs as memories flashed past in his mind, his eyeballs bulging as though about to fall out of their sockets, a tearing pain appearing in his chest.

'Hold him down!' a nurse yelled. 'He's going to go on a rampage if we don't!'

_**"C'mon, Sasuke-kun, don't be such a bore! Stop calling me **__**Haruno**__**… I've a first name, you know!"**_

Her laughter. Her smile. That mischievous sparkle in her eyes, the way those emerald orbs radiated warmth… acceptance.

'AAAAGH –'

'C'mon, we've got to take him to the emergency room! Where're the drugs?!' another nurse demanded to know, her voice betraying her feelings of panic.

_**"Don't ignore me now! Say my name! C'mon…"**_

_**"I won't, **__**Haruno**__**."**_

_**"See! There you go again! I call you Sasuke-kun… why can't you **__**say**__** my name?"**_

'I really don't understand… we should've had him moved to a more advanced asylum, but Uzumaki-san insists –'

'Who cares about Uzumaki-san now! We've our jobs to care about! Do you want to get fired, Yotsuino?! If you don't, then you better concentrate on Uchiha, or else Uzumaki-san will throw you out before you can say "I refuse"!'

_**"I'm not going to call you –**__**" He**__** grimaced. **__**"- what that idiot calls you."**_

_**She pouted. "Is that why you're not **__**saying**__** my name? **__**Because you're jealous?"**_

Always so fragile. So soft-hearted. So comforting…

So beautiful.

And he –

_**He choked on his tomato juice. "What?"**_

_**"Just kidding!"**__** She grinned widely. "But c'mon… Sasuke-kun… **__**say**__** my name!"**_

_**His face turned to stone again; stubborn, cold, **__**pessimistic**__**. "No."**_

_**But she knew he wasn't like that. **__**Deep within.**__** Or so she said.**_

- a beast. Cruel, cold-hearted, merciless…

Nobody understood him. The girls only liked him for his appearance, his 'mysterious coolness', his intelligence and strength.

They said he was 'perfect'.

_**"Oh, don't be so stubborn, Sasuke-kun… **__**pleaaase**__**?" Her face became begging, her jade eyes widening and sparkling –**_

_**He turned away. Damn those eyes.**_

They didn't even know him.

And then there was that idiot Naruto. He was always alone… an orphan, and the others despised him for the family he came from; in some bizarre way, Sasuke could understand him and he Sasuke. But they never spoke.

It was that girl who broke the barrier between them.

_**"Say my name, Sasuke-kun!**____**Pleaaase**__**…"**_

___**He hesitated, only for a thousandth of a second, but she saw it nonetheless. Her grin became even more mischievous, her lips curling upwards devilishly but in a weirdly sincerely innocent way.**_

___**"I could buy tomatoes for you! Make tomato juice… tomato soup… **__**er**__**… tomato **__**icecream**__**… tomato pie… tomato cake… tomato muffins… tomato… uh…"**_

___**"No." His voice was stern, sharp as a needle, menacing. Other girls would've started to cry, or the bravest would've winced, but she knew him better.**_

Naruto had opened up to her. At first only because she was bullied – he was the only one who could understand her pain. But Sasuke saw it too… he just didn't bother to interfere.

She didn't return his feelings. Naruto never openly confessed his feelings, but he made sure to show her he cared and loved in all ways possible without directly telling her 'I love you'. She rejected him – violently, but it was only a joke. Naruto didn't take her seriously either.

Others said she hated Naruto. Sasuke knew she didn't want him to take her seriously. Being violent with him was her way to show that she cared but still didn't return his feelings.

She was in love with somebody else.

___**"Okay, then!" She sounded desperate by now. Sasuke felt a tinge of amusement in his heart. "I'll tell Naruto what you said in your sleep a week ago!"**_

___**Sasuke stiffened.**_

___**"You wouldn't dare," he hissed, glaring into her face, his nose only inches away from hers.**_

Him.

That was why Naruto hated him. That was why he hated Naruto. Naruto loved her, but he wouldn't hurt her. That was why, in the end, he knew Sakura would go to him. He hated Naruto for being there, for being the superior, even if Sasuke won in all kinds of competitions from fights to rock-paper-scissors, Naruto would win in the end.

He didn't know why he cared. But she could see through that icy demeanor with her soft, warm jade eyes. It disturbed him. He didn't like it… at all.

Yet, he felt so oddly relaxed around her.

At last, she managed to break down that barrier. She was the link between Naruto and Sasuke… the link that had caused the two of them to at last become best friends, and defeat their mutual hatred.

The reason had been to protect her smile.

Back then, he hadn't anticipated he would be the one to make it fade away.

___**"Oh yes, I would." She smirked evilly. "I can tell him about all the details… your little nightmare… how you two accidentally kissed –"**_

___**"Shut up!" he snapped. "If you don't, then I'll –"**_

___**"Just say my name." Her smirk turned to a smile – that beautiful smile Naruto loved. The smile they had sworn to protect…**_

Naruto was the only one who knew that he cared. Everybody else only saw Sakura clinging onto him, hearing his cold comments about her being annoying – his rude attitude just showed how much he hated her, they said.

So eventually, they had sworn to protect her together.

For her sake. For their sake. For love's sake.

There was just something about that smile that made him feel… strange. It felt as though all darkness around him, threatening to suffocate his soul, cleared away, revealing a path of light.

But he had denied it. He had rejected that path…

___**She leaned closer. He started to feel uncomfortable – their lips were almost touching.**_

___**"Just say it," she whispered. He could see every movement of her lips… and that soft whisper…**_

___**It was intoxicating. It was… dangerous.**_

___**"Fine."**_

___**Silence.**_

___**"Your name is –"**_

_'_SAKURAAAA –'

Naruto bit his lower lip, and closing his eyes, his fists clenched painfully. Sasuke…

Said man and psychopath was now thumping the portable bed he was tied to rapidly with his fists, shrieking in agony.

'STAY AWAY… NO, STAY AWAAY –'

'Drugs, where're the goddamned drugs!' Naruto could hear one of the nurses crying out in frustration. He leaned against the wall, making sure he was invisible. He didn't want Sasuke to see him –

- he didn't want to see Sasuke.

'STAY AWAY – I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU – I DON'T WANT TO… NO…'

That smile… that tormenting smile. The smile that haunted even Naruto in his dreams. He had stopped loving her, but she was still one of his closest friends.

No. She and Sasuke were his very best friends. Not 'two of the closest'… they were the 'best' ones.

___And… they…_His hand travelled to his heart, as though wanting to clutch it.

'NO! DARKNESS, TAKE ME AWAY FROM THE LIGHT…'

___… __are__ both engulfed in darkness._

He closed the door to his office as Sasuke's screams became fainter the farer away the nurses went from his cell. Staring out of his window, Naruto found it was dusk… the sky was painted in so many different colors… in the farthest corners of the horizon a deep navy that almost resembled black, slowly fading to light mist-blue that blended to white together with the faintest creamy gold, finally drowning in crimson.

The showdown of light and dark.

The sun is about to set… the night is about to come.

His eyelids closed, hiding his pain-filled eyes.

But what if the sun doesn't rise again tomorrow…

* * *

The night was silent. 

As Sakura strolled down the streets, she felt oddly peaceful at mind. Lately, she had avoided being out in the dark – but now, somehow, she felt some strange sort of relaxed, temporary calm…

As though the calm before the storm.

She shook off the feeling with a careless shrug, inhaling the fresh air of the evening. A cool night breeze ruffled her short roseate hair, her jade eyes scanning the dimly lit up surroundings like a cat's, darting around swiftly without the slightest sign of tension or fear. The full moon shone above her with a ghostly light, surrounded by what seemed to be countless other stars, twinkling from an immeasurable distance.

And everything was completely quiet.

Not a sound, with the exception of her own steadfast footsteps, could be heard. There was no car speeding past her, no other people hurrying past her or even lurking about. Somewhere far away a bird – perhaps a nightingale, as in romantic fairy tales long forgotten in this deserted neighborhood – sang a melancholy melody, telling of broken hearts, tragic deaths and loneliness.

But other than that… nothing.

And suddenly, a sound pierced through this peaceful silence, rushing Sakura awake, calling her back to reality – she had been in such a trance by taking in all this, that she had forgotten that there was even something called noisy, if you could call the sound noisy, anyway.

___You are my shelter_

___My tears and laughter_

___The sunlight and the wind_

___You're my angel_

___You're the joy that love can bring…_

The Italian singer Laura Pausini's voice gently sang the love ballade to the silence of the night, even the bird – a nightingale? – turning quiet to listen. Sakura snatched up her cellphone from her pocket and answered immediately.

'Hello?'

'Oh… hi. Sakura. I was just wondering if you were… you know, alright.'

Sakura shot an eyebrow further upwards. 'Tenten? What's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong.' A strained laugh followed. 'Why would anything be wrong?'

'Because… you never phone me to ask if I'm alright.' She paused, waiting for an answer, but nothing ever came. Just Tenten's ragged breath that indicated her nervousness. 'You phone around to talk about… stuff. All kinds of stuff. Not to ask if I'm alright or not.'

'Oh… well… I was just thinking, er, maybe you wanted to see Spirited Away?'

Sakura heaved a sigh. 'Neji-san talked with you, didn't he?'

'What? What makes you think –'

'You're a terrible liar, Tenten.'

'I… well, he did, but –'

'Relax, I'm fine.' She smiled. 'Why wouldn't I be? I really don't get what you guys are making such a fuss about. I mean, I know Uchiha-san's a dangerous psychopath, but so far he hasn't refused to cooperate, and –'

'Give me the phone, Tenten,' a distant voice Sakura recognized as Neji's interrupted.

'No,' Tenten protested, 'I am talking to Sakura –'

Sakura wondered in her thoughts what Neji was doing together with Tenten this late at night. She convinced herself to believe they had probably just met up somewhere, like… at a party. But come to think of it, Neji wasn't that social…

'Sakura,' Neji's deep voice cut Tenten's protests off. Sakura felt her body shiver in pleasure at the voice. Such a beautiful sound.So… deep and demanding, yet smooth.

It was familiar somehow. It reminded her of another sound…

_**"Your name is… ****Sakura."**_

She stifled a moan as a pang of pain shot through her body, the familiar ache she had been feeling for weeks. That voice…

'Listen, Sakura,' Neji's voice once again sounded, awaking her from her thoughts, 'Stay away from Uchiha. Better, resign from the job. I don't know what Tsunade-sama is thinking by sending you off to that man, but it's not good for you, or for him. It's better to leave him alone.'

'Neji-san, I'm grateful that you're concerned, but for your information, Uchiha-san is –'

'I don't care.' It was sharp as a needle now, with the tone of a captain to his disobedient, rebellious subordinate. 'You don't know everything, Sakura – just watch out, will you? Just –'

But his voice faded away as Sakura dropped the cellphone to the ground. Her face color was a sickening ash-grey, her body shaking uncontrollably.

'Hello? Haruno!'

But he could've been talking to a deaf person. Sakura's lower lip trembled as her eyes widened in pure fear.

'Y… you!' she spluttered out, pointing at the person before her.

'Long time no see…'

His lips curled into a sinister smile as a pointed tongue, as the one of a snake, licked them maliciously.

'... Sakura-_chan_.'

The last thing she heard was that familiar voice. Not Neji's, but another one, one she embraced welcomingly.

_Your name is… Sakura._

* * *

His eyes opened very slowly. A blurred vision of white met his dark orbs, hushed whispering the only sound that his ears welcomed in the tiny hospital room. 

'… Where is she?' he demanded with a calm, controlled voice.

The whispering stopped. The nurses in the corner looked terrified; one was whimpering pathetically, the other shaking more than a leaf in a storm, a third looking as though she was restraining the urge to run for the door, scream at the top of her lungs and get as far away as possible from the disturbed youth.

'Where is she?' he repeated once again, with a more warning tone.

'W… we d-don't know what you're talking about, S-Sasuke-san,' the third murmured in a hardly audible voice.

'The psychiatrist.' He refused to use her name. He still refused to believe.

She can't be…

She had been dead to him for years. A no longer existent character of his past, a ghostly face that haunted him in his nightmares, smiling that comforting smile that he had sworn to protect… and destroyed.

'Sh… she…'

'Sasuke.'

The door opened. Sasuke's eyes slowly wandered to the doorway – he stood there. The nurses' eyes dashed hurriedly from the patient to the boss.

'U-Uzumaki-san,' the first addressed with a half-hearted bow of politeness, though he looked as though he was about to watch a sumo-wrestling battle – or even better, the clash of two giants, as though the former best friends would at any second roar and jump at each other, fighting brutally.

Naruto just wore a determined face expression. 'Please leave.'

'Y-yes, Uzumaki-san.' The three quickly gathered their belongings and rushed out of the hospital room, filled to the brim with fresh gossip they were ready to spread. The blonde's blank eyes just showed how little he cared.

'You're awake,' he stated simply.

'Aa.'

Silence.

Then, 'Where's she?'

Naruto understood immediately. He needed no confirmation of her name. 'She…' He hesitated.

'Just tell me already,' Sasuke snapped. He was starting to get impatient.

'She's comatose,' Naruto informed him cautiously. 'She was found on the streets, unconscious, last night.'

He didn't need to say more. Sasuke looked as for a moment as though he considered whether to puke or to scream.

A minute later, he did both.

* * *

I'm so sorry that you guys didn't get to see Sasuke's and Sakura's past like you wanted to, but I can promise that there'll DEFINITELY be some of that soon, you have my word. Also, I'm sorry for the ' instead of the ", my computer is screwed up right now, it won't function properly. And if there're words missing or sentences that repeat themselves, as well as words/sentences that should be in italics/bold/normal that are not, I apologize again. I've no idea how my computer succeeds with doing that, but it just does that by itself. If you see the last chapter, you'll notice that a few words might've gone missing (like Sakura thought "I Sai"... it's supposed to be "I told Sai"). 

Also, I'm going to the Canary Islands the day after my birthday! (Which is the day after Sasuke's birthday, so guess when?) Which means, sorry, no updates for some time, but don't worry, I'll try to get the chapters done as quickly as possible by the time I'm back. Don't forget to review, I'd love to see the reviews after I've gotten back!

I'll also try to get done with the second Bittersweet Facade chapter as soon as possible. It took me an entire day (and a lot of headache) to finish the twelfth chapter of this (I'm always two chapters ahead of the actual published chapter, so that I can alter it in case I change my mind about any events that occurred), so it didn't give me much time to finish the Bittersweet Facade chapter.

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

**I tell you guys this time and time again, yet it seems like I don't say it enough - do you know just how I much I love your reviews?! I love reading them, whether it's criticism or compliments. Either way, I've a knack for forgetting rules, and many thanks to Aria-chan - I totally forgot that I'm not really allowed to answer reviews! Anyhow, I'm answering your reviews while publishing this, so if you're looking for an answer to your review, please check your mailbox! (Be aware that I haven't answered ALL reviews yet due to the fact that my mom is currently threatening me with a vacuum cleaner so I can hurry up and get finished.)  
**

** To be honest, I actually prefer to write every single answer to your reviews like meant us to do, by clicking the 'reply' button. It seems much more personal to write one to each of you, instead of just writing everything here.**

**Thank you guys SO much! And anyhow, I've gotta go. My mom's threatening with the vacuuum cleaner because she wants to use the computer.**

** Much love, and keep reviewing!!!**

**-Tsuki-chan **

* * *

**Tsukiko's Ultimate Blah Blah Blah **(Fear of the Fanfic Fanatics!) 

I guess most of you already know that the 7th volume of Harry Potter is soon going to be released! Since I've been utterly bored the two past days due to the fact that none of my friends had any time to hang out, I spent my time instead rereading the previous volumes, and finding out what's going to happen in the new one. So I read in an interview with J.K. Rowling that she wants to shed light on stuff or something, so that there won't be anymore 'stories' after she's done, and I assume she's talking about fanfics...

Personally, I feel kind of offended. I mean, what's wrong with fanfics? My sister gets thoroughly annoyed by fanfics as well, saying they're not 'original work of the author'. Who cares? I've read plenty of fanfics that could've been by the actual author/manga artist/script writer, they're so good anyway. Sure, there're some stuff that may be out of character, like this great fic I read the other day in which Sasuke blushed prettily, but who cares, the rest of the fanfic was very well-written and I'm looking forward to read the next chapter.

And maybe readers wanted to add something that WASN'T included in the original book; like for example, in HP, how Lily and James got together, and since I'm an avid DracoHermione fan, how the two of them could get together possibly, and Ron's jealousy and all.

I mean, sure, maybe you could get annoyed if you were the creator of something and got annoyed by how people made them so horribly out of character, or into Mary-Sues, or whatever. But still, wouldn't that be AMUSING to read instead of annoying? And if you really do find an IC fic, be pleased with how it turned out?

Well, one thing's for sure. If I become a famous author, and people start writing fanfics, I'll be sure to read them, no matter what pairing it is, how OOC it is, how lousy it is written, or whatever. And then, I'll make sure I'll leave a review just to show that I like fanfics too.

-Tsuki-chan


	11. Fairy Tale

**Chapter XI: Fairy Tale**

He gazed down at her.

_This is the third time_, he thought bitterly. He recalled the times before… he had shared his waiting together with another person.

_Uchiha __Sasuke_.

He was, obviously, concerned. Sai didn't really care about others, but this was Sakura. She was just… special. To others, she didn't seem so, with the exception of her abnormal natural hair color, a shocking soft pink, and with her unusually large forehead. But other than that… nothing.

But underneath that fragile façade, she was just so much more. He couldn't explain it with words, and he didn't attempt to, either; it was embarrassing enough as it was, the description too cliché to be true, as though something taken from a cheesy romantic story.

But it almost was. A cheesy romantic story, that is.

And he'd just be another one of the countless males that'd fall in love with the main character, and she'd end up with _him_, of course…

Because that's how beautiful fairy tales work.

_Too bad reality's not a fairy tale.__ Beautiful princes are not always what they seem, are they?_

And he knew. She'd never return his feelings. But yet he was so foolishly, stupidly, pathetically in love…

In love with a girl – no, woman – whose heart belonged to another.

Whose heart had _always _belonged to another.

Just like light would belong to dark. And dark would belong to light. Because you always seek out the opposites, because they're the ones standing out in the crowd. Light won't seek light, and dark won't seek dark.

Unlike in fairy tales.

Ah, the irony of fairy tales.

_**Sakura's POV**_

Things were… strange. Just a blur, and all of a sudden, it was all white, then black, then white again… finally replaced with some odd colors.

Red, orange, yellow. It looked like the sky was on fire. The sun was setting, the city around me awakening to life. People were tiredly walking out of their offices, dragging their throbbing feet towards their homes, towards their families – towards their happiness. Dozy smiles, flickering just the slightest as they were reminded of the duties that awaited them at home - the whining of the children, the grumbling of their partner, the lousy shows on TV - adorned their faces, whether young or old, male or female.

Except one girl.

This little girl, not aged more than approximately seven, was short. Short, with bubblegum-colored hair, wearing an oddly familiar dress painted in red – even though it didn't go with her hair color – a red ribbon drawing a line between one half of her scalp and the other, showcasing her somewhat large forehead.

She was running down the streets. Something indescribable could be read in her jade eyes; not even I, a psychiatrist, could read the blended emotions. But wait a minute, this girl…

She looked a lot like me. No, she _had _to be me. I had never seen another person with pink hair before. And… it was just a feeling; after all, she could be a very distant relative, but I felt that she really was me. I tried to open my mouth to speak as she rushed past me hurriedly, but somehow, no sound came out.

Instead, the scene automatically followed that girl, down the streets, where the street lamps were awakening to life, already drunk men were sneering slyly as they played their final cards in a game of poker, others swinging their half-empty bottles before taking a huge swig of the alcoholic beverage.

Until she reached someplace out of city. It resembled the typical neighborhood; a neat line of neat houses with neat people inside them. But the house she went into gave me the wrong vibe – it didn't look different from the others, painted white just like them and with a new red roof, and half-neat garden, it looked just as usual.

But it just gave me the wrong vibe. Like there was something horrible within… like…

Like a witch.

Okay, where the hell did I get _that _from? Oh, right. Spirited Away. I'm not obsessed! It's very healthy to watch the same movie a lot of times -

Anyway, the little girl put her hand on the bronze-colored doorhandle, stopping on the doorstep with hesitance in her every move. She seemed to have gathered courage enough to push the door gently open, as I followed her, unwillingly, invisibly, even comfortably, into the dark hall, only lit by the last sunshine before the sea was going to swallow the sun whole, embracing the cold of the night once again.

' – no, she's not at home. Please call again later. Bye,' a man's voice barked as he put the receiver down. 'You. Stop.'

The girl flinched; she was halfway up the stairs, having not even spoken a word, it was impossible for me to comprehend why exactly she seemed to be so terrified of this man. Until I could scent it.

He was drunk.

'You little bitch,' he murmured dangerously as he made his way up the stairs. The girl, who was now turned towards him, backed fearfully a few steps upwards.

'You gave our phone number to a stranger?' he continued, without even being aware of her mortified whimpering of hardly audible apologies – and if he did, seemed to ignore them. 'You bitch. You little meaningless piece of shit. You tryin' to report me to the authorities, are ya? You bitch. Not even grateful with what you have, eh? Just because your little damn mother spoiled you…'

He grabbed hold of the collar of her dress, _holding_ her up like a rag doll. She seemed to suppress tears.

'S-s-sorry…,' was the only thing Sakura could make out. She felt inclined to interfere, but somehow, Sakura couldn't even stir to call out to the poor girl.

'I knew I should've just dumped you,' he growled. 'Dumped ya on the streets, together with those kids, ya know? I saw one of them the other day. Nice piece of shit, ya know what I mean? You would have ended up there if I hadn't taken ya in, you get that, bitch?'

She nodded numbly, silently.

'Good.' He slapped her hard across the cheek. I gasped, though I was just as mute as ever to them. 'A little present for your _good deed_.'

Laughing, he descended down the staircase, leaving the girl there, shaking, sobbing hoarsely, but suppressing the shiny droplets that could be seen in the corners of her eyes. She awkwardly crawled up the remaining way up the stairs, into her bedroom where she closed the white door – I was inside the room by now – and sat down by her bed.

She looked fondly at pictures on the tiny shelf – no, piece of wood; it didn't even _look _like a shelf – above her bed. The glass of the frames were slightly cracked, as though they had been thrown to the floor, which I didn't doubt, not with that father of hers. There were only three photos there; one of a blonde girl – Ino-pig? But there're plenty of blue-eyed blondes – grinning widely, while she herself awkwardly hid behind the previous, smiling shyly, the second, not very shockingly but yet astoundingly, an older version of herself – her mother.

_My _mother.

Pink, lustrous hair blowing in the wind as jade orbs curiously stared at the camera, the older woman and the tiny girl leaning against her bed on the floor were more alike than two carbon copies. A tiny smile adorning her lips were the only thing that could tell the two apart – a smile I now recognized as my own, but it seemed foreign if I tried to imagine the child having it on her face.

'Mom,' the little girl mouthed.

The third…

It was a picture of her father. The staggering alcoholic I had just encountered was so bizarrely different from the man in the picture, yet there was a close resemblance to both; gold-brown hair and hazel eyes, but the one in the picture was muscular and handsome, and a mischievous grin yet some more adult seriousness in his eyes could be seen. There were no signs that he'd turn into the wrecked disaster he was.

'Dad.'

Once again inaudibly, the girl tenderly stroked first the photo of her mother, and then of her father. And suddenly, the tears she had suppressed came rushing down her cheeks in streams – tears I felt trickling down my own as well, the familiar pain of being neglected coming back.

Well, so much for the witch.

_**End Sakura's POV**_

'Sai?'

She was surprised, he could tell. His black eyes traveled up and down, taking in her features; though seven years had gone since he last had seen her, she hadn't changed the slightest. She had become a tad taller, but so had he, so it was the same height difference still; but her light golden hair was as beautiful as ever, even though she hadn't had time to put it in her horsetail as usual, her curves still sharp and her sapphire eyes still wide, but missing that sparkle of happiness…

Just as last time he had seen her – in the hospital, beside Sakura's bed. Despite the two of them being Sakura's best friends, they hadn't met, even though Sakura had really wanted them to. Sai never attended Sakura's birthday parties, because he knew very well that she was the one throwing them.

Ino.

'Yeah.' His response was dull and flat, and a worn, not so truthful smile appeared on his lips, just as in the old days. 'Hello, gorgeous.'

'I forgot you used to call me that.' The smile on her face mirrored his. She put the bouquet of flowers in the vase beside Sakura's bed.

'You didn't have time to fix your hair, yet you had time to get flowers?' He raised an eyebrow, questioning what she had done.

'And you forgot that my parents are florists.' She paused, then a look of remorse filled her eyes as she stared down at Sakura's pale face. 'How is she?'

Sai shook his head. 'Not very good.'

'Oh…' She paused, and then: 'What did the doctor – doctors – say?'

'They said that she was lucky to have survived – the damages were severe.'

'Yeah – but she has a guardian angel, doesn't she?'

Sai flinched.

_'__He's my guardian angel!'_

Her voice… that happiness.

She believed he'd protect her… forever.

Sai's fist clenched.

But he was the one who had made her smile disappear. And _he_ couldn't even stop him from doing so.

_How pathetic._

'Even though I told her not to get so full of herself...,' Ino continued softly, oblivious to the fact that Sai didn't even seem to listen.

_**Sakura's POV**_

I hated that man.

Even though I had no memories of him except what I had just witnessed, I hated him. How could he? It was not out of self-pity that I felt this way, I would've felt this way no matter had it been me or a complete stranger. But that girl – me – was crying so helplessly, and he just burst into the room, bellowed that she was a useless weakling, smelling even more of drunkenness than before. He had thrown her out into the cold, cruel night.

And she had obeyed. Wiping her tears, she had strolled down the street – as she still was doing.

And all of a sudden, they appeared.

A couple of girls and some boys. The stereotypical bullies, the boys weren't too handsome but looked strong for being so young, and the girls were dressed very 'lady-likely', and their laughter was not pure and innocent, but tainted with the desire to hurt others.

'Oh, look,' one of the girls drawled with her dark, probably unintentionally manly voice. 'Isn't that Miss Snotty?'

'Yeah,' the other agreed with an inhumanly squeaky voice. 'The one who's always with Ino.' The girl looked extremely frightened, and yelped as the latter grabbed her by the collar. 'Ain't so brave when she's not around, eh?'

'Tch. She's _never _brave. What a coward she is. Got some money, brat?' One of the guys, who looked a few years older, sneered as he pulled the younger me away from the second girl. The other started rummaging through her pockets.

'N-no… I… I need that…,' she murmured.

'Oh! She's got cash!' the boy exclaimed as a handful of coins appeared on his palm. The first boy let her go, but the girls looked dismayed.

'She deserves a good beating,' the first growled. 'She's so full of herself, isn't she?'

'Yeah… she thinks she's so high and mighty; she never speaks, as if she's too good to talk with us…'

'True.' The boys nodded in agreement, and as on cue, the petrified and scared girl was kicked at by one of them, followed by more kicks as she sobbed, begging them to stop, until…

'Oi.'

I froze. _That _voice…

_**End Sakura's POV**_

'So you succeeded.'

'Of course. What did you expect?'

His tongue licked his lips in satisfaction. 'You're such an excellent actor.'

A bow. 'But so are you.'

'Wasn't it difficult?'

'No, no. She's the closest to Tsunade-sama, I'd believe… and extremely naïve as well. She always thinks the best about everybody.'

'No, that was not what I meant…' He smirked. 'She was your lover after all, wasn't she…'

The stony face with the mad smile printed onto it made no response.

'… Kabuto?'

_**Sakura's POV**_

It couldn't be. No, no, it just couldn't – _he _couldn't be here, not in _my _memories –

The girls and boys stopped kicking her, looking up in fright. The boy before them had a striking resemblance to Uchiha-san; black spiky hair, obsidian eyes filled with coldness, his hands shoved into the pockets of his white shorts.

'You're cowardly enough to hit a girl smaller than you?' He looked with disgust at the boys, who cowered slightly. Strange – they were taller than _him_.

'Oh… w-well…' One of the girls smiled nervously. 'Well, she's too full of herself, and –'

'I didn't ask for your opinion,' he interrupted her with a dangerous glare, making her whimper pathetically. 'You people are pathetic.'

Everybody flinched and backed slightly away. Except one guy.

This guy was the stereotypical leader of the stereotypical bully gang. Stupid-looking, fat, spoiled and annoying in general, he stepped forward and said with a threatening voice: 'You're not little full of yourself as well, brat. You know who you're talking with?'

'Oi… Christopher….,' one of the other boys called out to him warningly, with a hint of fear in his voice.

'Don't know. Don't care,' he responded with a monotone voice.

'Why, you…' Christopher aimed a punch at the boy's face, but he just dodged and kicked him in the stomach, making said bully fly backwards and into a pole, falling into a sitting position as he grunted out of pain. Faster than I'd have thought a seven years old boy could move, the Uchiha-san lookalike had put his foot onto Christopher's face, pushing him further down into the ground.

With a familiar smirk on his lips.

A _too _familiar smirk.

'Tch.'

And with that snort, he walked off, leaving the girl who was petrified out of shock on the ground, the gang of bullies muttering something that sounded like, 'You won't get away next time,' before rushing off, half-dragging, half-carrying Christopher on the way.

Even though nothing happened to prove it, I had this strange feeling that they never bullied her again.

_**End Sakura's POV**_

"Do you think that fairy tales can come true?"

His question surprised her; creamy eyes with no irises widened slightly just to return to their normal state. For all these years, he had never asked such a question – the answer was obvious, at least in his opinion – or so it had seemed. Uzumaki Naruto was one to believe in fairy tales, to believe in true heroes and true deeds.

Even though the old Uzumaki Naruto had faded away with time, replaced with a more shadowed, bitter replica, battered by events that had torn and shred his happiness to bits just to replace it slightly with the existence of his wife, something he was more grateful for than he could show.

But Hinata knew. And she loved him too.

"Yeah…" She paused, staring out of the window. The petals of the cherry blossom blossoming outside of this pain-filled psych ward, where blood-curdling screams had become something normal and hearty laughs something beyond imagination for most prisoners, were scattered in the brutal wind, dancing their last waltz.

"I think they can."

A silence followed. It was no awkward silence, like so many other silences that had fallen between the two of them – the memory almost made the blue-haired woman smile – but it was a silence of understanding.

_Understanding somebody…_

Her eyelids closed slowly as she recalled memories in her mind, voices and images blending together to form a slideshow while thoughts peacefully streamed through her brain.

_There're so many ways to understand som__eone…_

A picture of two glaring, bickering boys, one blonde and one raven-haired, around the age of twelve, a pink-haired girl in the background –

_… __that's__ what Sakura-san said._

- another picture of two fourteen-year-olds as they celebrated their oldest and tiniest (and the only pink-haired) friend's fifteenth birthday –

_I understood you, Naruto-kun…_

- a third of a girl in hysterics as she partly screamed, partly sobbed, begging for mercy as she watched the blood rain down on her, the blood of her two best friends –

_… __just__ like you understood Sasuke-san…_

- and a final one –

_I let your fairy-tale unfold. And you let theirs. And eventually, ours unfolded as well…_

- a strange blur, blood, anguished screams and tears melting together to form a face –

_But not all fairy-tales end well, do __they_

- a pink-haired girl with emerald eyes, smiling innocently…

"No," his low voice said, as though he was afraid to speak too loudly, "no, they don't."

She looked up in mild surprise. "You read my thoughts…"

"Not really. I was just thinking the same…" He broke off. "Do you think they'll be alright, Hinata-chan?"

"I don't know…" She hated to say it out loud; it didn't only hurt the one she loved the most, it hurt her as well. "But it's a fairy-tale, isn't it? Fairy-tales… they're supposed to end well…"

"'But when a fairy-tale comes true, that's when it becomes scary…'," Naruto murmured. Hinata winced. A picture of a pink-haired teen ripping apart a brand-new story book to the shocked eyes of the store clerk, her tears flowing down her cheeks freely, her sweet face distorted into a grimace of, unmistakably, fear, reemerged among her long forgotten, long suppressed, memories.

"I can't help but agree," was all she managed to whisper before her voice stopped to obey her.

_**Sakura's POV**_

He used to call me princess.

That's not anything I can remember clearly. But I remember that, even after my amnesia, I hated that word. _Princess_. Fairy-tales. They disgusted me. I didn't know why… they just made me feel uncomfortable. No, more like nauseous…

I watched the little girl – the younger me – stand by the closed bookstore. She gazed with longing, tearful eyes at the book that was showcased in the window. _101 Fairy Tales: including classics such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty._

It was a beautiful book, I had to admit. As beautiful as books could be, anyway – but it looked ancient, yet so oddly new – maybe it's the way you look at something your grandmother owned but never used. The pages looked much softer and more fragile than the sharp, edgy pages of the newer books that were also showcased – more adult ones such as _When the Lambs Silence_ among others. And the cover of the book – the color of dark wood, I recognized the color – the color of mahogany.

_Mahogany._

Something flashed in my mind. A mahogany chair. Somebody holding me close… a singing voice that belonged to a female in the background, singing softly… I didn't recognize the song… and then that male voice who told the story…

_**Do you like the story, princess?**_

_Yeah! I love it!_

_**Do you want to hear another one?**_

_Okay!_

_**But this is a real fairy tale, little princess. It's a story about a little princess who became the most beautiful princess there ever was, but in order to become that, there was something she had to do**…_

_What would that be?_

**_She would have to do whatever her father__, the king,__ said. Because they had to move far, far away from their country… they had to escape… because there's a person out there who wants to kill her father, see? But he doesn't know who. He just knows there's somebody who wants to kill him, and nobody believes him. But the little princess did. And together, they formed a kingdom of their own…_**

And then, a blur. But the voice started again. But with a much, much more different tone.

**_You traitor, you fucking traitor, you filth… you… _**

**_B-b-but I haven't d-done anything! I promise, w-whatever I did, I won't do it again! J-just d… don't h-hit me… _**

**_You… the blood that's in your veins… it's HERS! It's filthy… it's… it's TAINTED…, _**he spat out the last words as though they were poisonous, and his eyes bulged dangerously. **_You're one of THEM, aren't you? Answer me, you little bitch, answer me! You're… you're… _**

**_B-but I… what are you talking… AH! _**

**_ANSWER ME! No, you won't kill me… I'll kill you first… I'll… kill… _**He grabbed the kitchen knife as she screamed in horror, backing away towards the wall. **_YOU! _**

**_LEAVE HER ALONE, RENOLD! _**a third voice screamed. **_GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, THERE'S NOBODY WHO WANTS TO KILL YOU, SO GO BACK TO WORK! DO YOU WANT THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO STARVE TO DEATH? _**

**_You… YOU BITCH! GO TO HELL! IT'S MY FUCKING HOUSE ANYWAY AND YOU DON'T DO A SHIT TO HELP US, EITHER! EXCEPT GO AND HAVE OTHER MEN'S TONGUES IN YOUR MOUTH, SO YOU CAN ALWAYS GO AND TAKE A JOB AS A WHORE IF YOU EVER EVEN THOUGHT OF HELPING THIS GODDAMNED HOME! _**

**_GREAT! I WILL! AND YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF OUR LITTLE PRINCESS, IF YOU THINK THAT'S NO WORK! _**

**_Mommy… daddy… don't… don't f-fight... _**

"No!" I awoke to 'reality' – if you would call that reality, anyway – as the startled voice of the younger me called out. "No, go away!"

I recognized the scent – too much alcohol. The man whom was 'talking' to her was middle-aged, but clearly taller as she was tiny – _I _was tiny – and he could hardly walk straight. Yet he stood in the way, and he had grabbed her arm.

"C'mon, little darlin'… I can show you the stars…"

"I don't want to see the stars!" she yelled in panic. "Just leave me alone, please!"

"C'mon… don't be such a bore…"

"Why don't you mess with people your own age?" a cold voice interrupted them. I froze. _Again_?

The man looked at – no, looked _down_ – at him, his forehead creased in a frown. "Don't play superhero here, buddy, 'cause I ain't gonna let you have the fun. This ain't any of ya business anyway."

"It's of course not my business, but you're blocking my path, you idiot," the boy spat, "and besides, you gross me out."

This HAD to be Uchiha-san. Who could BE this rude except him? To a SENPAI, nonetheless? Okay, not much of a senpai, but you know what I mean, don't you?

"Why you…" The man let go of her – me – briefly to charge at the Uchiha-san lookalike, but he only 'hn'ed (who ELSE says 'hn'? It's not even a WORD!) and hit him – I recognized it – at a vital point. His eyes widening in surprise, the staggering alcoholic fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"What the fuck did you do to me, you little – argh!" The Uchiha-san lookalike had now stepped on his head.

"Shut up. You're annoying," he snapped as he wrinkled his forehead, and then glanced at the younger me. She was crying slightly, bruises from before still evident on her face. He heaved a sigh. "Come along."

Strange. I could've sworn I walked down the same road before. Yet, the past me didn't utter anything. She looked around, slightly puzzled by the familiar surroundings, but did not question anything. The Uchiha-san lookalike remained characteristically quiet.

And then, he stopped. It was quite the regular house. A white-painted fence, a slightly organized garden and a brick house. And it was right next to…

The past me widened her eyes, and I knew I was right. We – I and the Uchiha-san lookalike – were neighbors. I waited for her to comment on that, but she didn't. He instead gave her a slightly annoyed glance. "Don't make one sound when you're in there. Or else I'm gonna make you wish the old geezer had taken you instead."

She gulped down, looking anxious as they tiptoed over the threshold. The house was seemingly normal. Nothing about it gave off a wrong vibe; it was just the average living room/hall they had stepped into, with two staircases leading to the second floor on both sides of the room. There was just one thing I didn't like about this place…

That tense silence. It was like watching a horror movie – or rather, _living _a horror movie – any second, something would just jump out or something horrible would happen. He didn't utter a word as he went into the kitchen next to the living room. As she proceeded to follow, he gave her a warning glare, and she – I – obediently leaned against the lavender-colored wall, waiting for him to return.

And then… there were footsteps. My heart skipped a beat – and it seemed the past me's heart had done so as well – and our heads darted, alarmed, at the direction of the sound – the top of the stairs. Somebody was walking down the stairs… and then I saw him.

He looked like an older version of Uchiha-san… or rather, a younger. He was perhaps in his early teens, but a strange feeling tells me he was twelve. Maybe I got to know this later on. The only difference that made him different to Uchiha-san was that his hair was not a spiky chicken-like hairstyle – it was neatly pulled back into a slightly spiky horsetail…

But everything else clicked. Could this be the real Uchiha-san? His cold nature… his piercing eyes… but even so, there was something that made me even more uncomfortable –

I uttered a gasp at the same time as the past me did the same. He had pinned the past me to the wall the moment he had seen me, and his fixating stare, those crimson eyes (hadn't they just been obsidian a second ago?) glaring intently into mine.

I relived it all from my own point of view. He was scaring me, and very much so. And his voice… his hoarse voice, it sounded so oddly familiar…

"Don't make me kill you…" The words rolled off his lips naturally, yet they were terrifying to hear, especially something about the way he said _kill_… "Little _doll_…"

"Onii-san!"

Our heads turned back to the Uchiha-san lookalike – he looked angered and… frightened? He was holding the first aid kit in his arms, and I felt a pang of relief that he had arrived in time before something had happened.

"Tch…" The snort was hardly audible as he walked away from me, climbing up the stairs again. The past me's terrified face turned to the Uchiha-san lookalike, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he muttered: "C'mon… let's go…"

_Sakura.__ How ironic._

I looked around – the place he had brought me to… blossoming trees, sparkly pink petals flying in the wind like snowflakes…a playground… but nobody was there. We sat down on a bench – or rather, _they _did – I stood close to them, unbelievably close, yet so far away. Far away was the sound of children's laughter.

"Your bruises," he muttered angrily, opening the first aid kit.

"N… no… it's fine… I can do without any help… it doesn't hurt anyway…," she stammered, still shaken after the event.

"Never mind my brother. He's…" Something flashed across his eyes – red? – but he just turned away. "Never mind."

She listened attentively, her – my – green eyes wide with thoughtfulness. "It's okay. I'm…" She trailed off. _Used to it_, were the words that crossed my mind. "… fine."

"Your bruises," he repeated, shoving the first aid kit into her hands.

"Thanks…," she said softly and started to treat herself. His eyes rested on her, slightly intently. She only winced the slightest when she saw them, and instead asked: "What's your name?"

I stiffened. _The million dollar question._"Uchiha," the name came out naturally, with just the slightest hint of pride, as shivers went down my spine. "Sasuke."

I _knew _it. Yet the haunting feeling couldn't leave me. All of a sudden I was freezing. Did Ino, Sai and the others know about this? Did I… did I know them back _then_?

Yes, they must know. The bullies said I always was with Ino… I knew I had known her from before, but…

Did she know about Uchiha-san too?

"Protector," she instead said. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "That's what your name means." Her smile… that smile… this time, I recognized it.

It was my mother's smile.

"Yeah." He looked away, wearing a frown. "I know that."

"Maybe you're my guardian angel," she continued, a tiny giggle escaping her lips. "Sasuke-kun." She paused, and then added: "Just like in a fairytale!"

_Sasuke-kun_?

It was frighteningly familiar. My head throbbed with pain more than ever, the scene turning a bit blurry.

"Hn." A handsome smirk, even handsome for a seven year old, crossed his handsome features. "Don't expect too much."

She closed the first aid kit, done with treating herself, and handed it to him. And he walked away, leaving her there on the bench, her eyes intently following his back which was getting farther and farther away…

_**End Sakura's POV**_

"Ino… are you sure about this?"

The blonde turned, her hand still on the handle to the car's door. In the driver's seat sat her boyfriend, wearing that serious expression – _when did he get it? He was always so carefree before _– she hated to see.

It had been the same face expression when…

She bit her lip.

When Sakura had been missing.

"It's okay." She forced herself to smile, trying to focus on his eyes. "It's okay, Shikamaru, I can take care of myself. I'm not… seventeen anymore."

"I know that," he said in a low voice. "I didn't say you were. But…" His eyes glanced at the building they had come to a halt in front of. It was surrounded by blooming sakura trees, the petals flying about midair in a brutal dance, only to stop so they could fall and be caught by the wind again. "It's…"

"Dangerous?" A half-serious smile appeared on her face.

He silenced.

_It's dangerous, Ino, where the hell do you think you're going! It's none of your business anyway – _

**_Sasuke-kun's in there, Shikamaru! I've to talk to him – maybe he'll come to his senses – maybe…_**

_Maybe he'll think you're Sakura. _The words had stung, her face expression frozen in something between realization and pain. _That's what you want, isn't it? It's no use, Ino! Realize it! He's already psychotic –_

_**You don't understand, Shikamaru! ** Her scream had been unexpectedly shrill, even for her, almost hysterical. **I wouldn't expect you to, either! After all, you've never been in love, haven't you?**_

"Aa," he said at last.

"I'm going to be safe," she kissed him briefly, "after all… I'm not Sakura."

He smirked slightly, "Aa. Be safe."

"I will," she whispered, and then stepped out of the car.

_**Sakura's POV**_

The park faded away to black. And then, as though I had just woken up from a dream, a blurry image became clearer and clearer, as a voice excitedly called: "Ino-chan! Ino-chan!"

_Ino?_

"Sakura? What?" I stared, astounded, at the seven years old version of the Ino I once knew. Her blonde hair was cut short, and she was – of course – much shorter, but still fashionably dressed, at least for a child, and her baby-blue eyes still sparkled like jewels, and I saw a couple of boys watch her from afar.

"Guess what!"

"What?" she grinned. Some girls nearby shot the younger me a dirty look, snorted and started to whisper and giggle tauntingly.

"I've got a crush!"

"Really? Who?" she wanted to know, her eyes widening in curiosity.

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun! He saved me yesterday… it was just like a fairy tale -"

Immediately, her eyes narrowed, and she backed a couple of steps, and snarled: "Don't be a fool, Haruno Sakura!"

_**End Sakura's POV**_

_"_Hello. I'm here to visit…" Her throat felt oddly dry, even though she had drunk two bottles of mineral water before she had left. "Uchiha Sasuke."

The receptionist glanced up, a look of bored surprise (however that was possible) adorning her chubby face. "And your name is…?"

"Yamanaka Ino. A," the word seemed so difficult to say… as though it hurt to say it, "friend."

"A friend, huh… well, that's unusual. Wait a sec, will you?" She grabbed the telephone and speedily dialed a number. "Hello? Kazeyama here. Yes… put me through to the boss. I don't care. This is something important," she shot a quick glance at Ino, "Uchiha's got a visitor. No, not a new psychiatrist. Just some friend. Okay. Bye."

She turned back to Ino. "Our boss is coming to pick you up in a minute. I don't know how you know Uchiha, but I'm gonna tell you one thing – that dude's dangerous. That's why our boss is gonna talk to you. Just wait a few min."

"Sure…," she answered slowly. She looked around; just the building filled her with more sadness. It was so dark… so gloomy… the walls, the ceiling, the floor, even the furniture were painted a strangely dark shade of grey.

Was this what Sakura saw everydaywas what popped up in her mind, as she recalled a picture of her own workplace, the colorful flower store her parents owned, with its shiny glass windows and the wonderful scent of the blooming flowers.

A pang of worry shot her as she thought of her best friend. We don't know her condition yet, the doctors had said. We have to inspect her wounds.

I knew it, she thought bitterly. I knew she shouldn't have become Sasuke-kun's psychiatrist. It's like history repeats itself… like everything's…

She searched the word, and when she found it, she felt as though she had received a punch in her stomach.

Cursed.

"Ino?" She spun around, facing a face she hadn't seen for too long; the shocked sapphire eyes belonging to Uzumaki Naruto stared at her in bewilderment.

_I told you, Sakura –_

"Hi, Naruto." She couldn't even force herself to smile, as her heart screamed to let the tears welling up in her eyes to stream down her face.

_- don't be a fool._

"I'm here to see Sasuke-kun."

_Fairy-tales can't be real._

* * *

Sorry for the extreme late update! But well, life's a royal mess - more info on my profile (which, for once, is updated). By the way, if you find punctuation missing, sentences/words being pulled together, or places where there shouldn't be any italics or bolds, I've to apologize. This computer is fucked up, I've no idea what's wrong with it, though. I just know that it majorly fucks up about everything I try to write in it. I'm finally done with chapter 13 after a long, long Writer's Block... so I hope you enjoyed chapter 11! Finally the long awaited past is here! Soon you'll be getting so much of the past you'll be probably be longing for the present... but oh well. That's life, dears.

* * *

**Reviews Corner**

Thank you guys SO much for the reviews! I'll be answering them right after this. Wow, just 9 reviews left until 300! KEEP ON REVIEWING, FOLKS! Even if I don't update, I'm a real review whore, so I always check for reviews. I love reading your reviews, whether it's criticism, compliments or just talking. :D LOVE Y'ALL!


	12. Somebody Waiting for Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, as always. Sadly.**

* * *

**Chapter XII: Somebody Waiting For Me**

"_Hello, Sai-san. Today, I'm going to show you around the school…"_

"_Bastard! Idiot! Bonehead!" Foul words continued to escape her lips in a stream of swearing and badmouthing, but he only sneered. "You're going to pay for this!"_

"_P… please." It was almost frightening; how the voice that had been hissed angrily at him for months could sound so _shamefully _pleading… so desperate… how the apple green eyes bulged as though about to fall out of their sockets, begging him… "S-save… Sasuke… k… un…"_

"Excuse me," a voice called gently, as though from far away. Waking up with a start, the pale-skinned art teacher's eyelids flipped open, facing a friendly-looking nurse.

He didn't even bother to greet her; he was startled – whether it was because of the dream he had had, or because of her sudden appearance was unclear. However, she didn't seem offended by this. "We've to treat her wounds now," she explained, still with the soft, caring voice as before, "if that is alright?"

He wanted to say something – even though he knew it was useless, as they didn't even need his permission in the first place – but his mind found no words. Instead, he merely nodded. The nurse smiled kindly. "Perhaps you'd like to go home and sleep? You've been here since she was taken in last evening, haven't you? You must be exhausted."

"There's no need," he found himself saying. "I can still wait."

"Oh, but surely there must be somebody waiting for you at home? And you do seem very sleep-deprived, you know. Maybe if you'd like to, we could give you a receipt so you can pick up some sleeping pills from the pharmacy…?"

He shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks." _And it's not like…_

"Are you sure?" He only nodded in response, too tired to say anything else.

…_. there's somebody to wait for me, either._

His eyes travelled to the still unconscious, roseate-haired girl – no, woman – lying on the hospital bed.

_Not anymore, at the very least._

* * *

"I…" Naruto trailed off, at a loss for words as he looked hopelessly at the blonde whom he had once been friends with. "… you know…"

"You don't need to tell me," was her simple response. Naruto looked at her with slight disbelief in his azure-blue orbs. "I know it's unsafe, with Sasuke-kun's current condition."

"Yeah." Naruto paused. "He's…" He silenced again. No explanation needed to be told; both knew what the rest of the sentence was.

"I know." Ino smiled bitterly, "but then again, I'm used to it. I can wait. At least, this time… there's somebody waiting for me to come back."

Her cryptic words seemed to apparently have made sense to Naruto, as he made no attempt to question them. Instead, he asked gravely, "How's Sakura-chan?"

Ino bowed her head. "No good. Same as…" She hesitated. "Same as before."

"Just our luck, eh?" Naruto laughed, but it was no sincere laugh – it sounded hollow and dark, the kind of laughter that had never suited him – that just didn't fit him. "It's like history has a knack for repeating itself."

"Yeah." Both went quiet again, before Ino continued, "How's Hinata, then? I haven't been to see her –" She stopped. She was about to say, "for seven years", but they needed no reminders. Both knew how long time had passed since last.

"Perfectly fine. We're about to celebrate our anniversary in a week… if we feel for celebrating, that is." He grinned half-heartedly. "But I hear you and Shikamaru are an item. Congrats."

A look of surprise appeared on Ino's face. "How did you know?"

A soft laugh emitted from his mouth. "News travel fast."

"I guess."

Silence fell once more – if you could call it silence. Distant screams, groans and hisses could be heard as they passed door after door, sometimes disheveled faces showing up behind the tiny windows with bars that gave them glimpses of the rooms they were imprisoned in.

And then, after what seemed to be an eternity of walking down the gloomy corridors where there seemed to be hardly any walls, just an infinite amount of doors and its miserable inhabitants, Naruto stopped. Inside, a savage roar could be heard, as though the person inside was more of an animal than a human, and the sound of claws scratching skin and walls could be recognized as well, making Ino's heart ache painfully out of worry and sadness.

_Is he hurting himself? _she wondered, but the question was soon answered by Naruto, whom seemed to have read her mind: "Several of the staff members have requested to give him handcuffs or a straitjacket, but I think that it'd be better for him to not have that. After all, I doubt he can damage himself more than he has, because he wants to stay alive to see _her_…"

"I see." Ino forced herself to smile.

Naruto made no reply; instead, he turned to the window. "Sasuke?" his voice called out coolly, hard as stone. "You've a visitor."

Immediately, the animalistic hisses and roars stopped, and was replaced by a ragged, impatient breathing. "Wh-who?" he wanted to know, desperately. "Who is it? Is it… is it _her_?" His eyes widened.

The blonde opened his mouth to answer, but his voice failed him. Instead, he opened the door so that Ino could come inside, shedding dim light into the already half-dark cell. Ino fought desperately not to start crying as she smiled forcedly and said, "Hi, Sasuke-kun. Long time no see."

* * *

_Sakura's POV_

Suddenly, the scene with Ino disappeared, replaced by one where _another _familiar blue-eyed blonde running towards me. It seemed that it had gone about a couple of months or so, since the cherry blossom trees had stopped to bloom.

"Sakura-_chaaaan_!" his loud voice shouted as he sprinted towards the younger me.

"NARUTO! DON'T BE SO LOUD!" the younger version of myself surprisingly scolded him, bonking him on the head with a book. I stared at myself and the blonde in surprise. _Uzumaki-san?!_

"Ow! But Sakura-chan… you're loud yourself," he whined, but as he lay there on the ground, I towered over him, green eyes flashing dangerously, as though in a cartoon.

"What did you say?" my voice menacingly hissed, as he nervously grinned.

"Ah… nothing, Sakura-chan…" He arose, beaming. "But I _knew _you'd be waiting for me!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. He was so different from the Uzumaki-san in the present time; why hadn't he told me we had once been friends? His playful behavior… his hyper attitude…

"Maybe Sakura-chan's crushing on me, ne?"

"Stop dreaming, Uzumaki Naruto," I – or would it be easier to say _she_, as she was so different from me – snorted. "C'mon, let's head home."

"Yeah, yeah." He grinned goofily. "But one day, Sakura-chan, you've to confess! And then we can ALWAYS wait for each other - "

A sudden punch in the face distracted him as I – I mean, she – shrieked, "IDIOT!"

"Sakura-chan… that hurt…," he wailed as he got up again.

"Don't get any ideas! I'm only waiting for you because then I'll have somebody to wait for! Ino-pig lives on the other side of town!"

_Somebody to wait for…_

"I know that Sakura-chan secretly – waaah, don't hit me again!" Uzumaki-san exclaimed in pretended fright as she clenched her fist threateningly, stretching it backwards to punch. "I'm just glad that someb- I mean, Sakura-chan's waiting for me!"

_Somebody waiting for me…_

"Yeah, yeah! Just hurry up!"

… _is it really that much to ask for? Is it really that difficult to achieve?_

_Do I really not deserve that?_

_End Sakura's POV_

* * *

"Hyuuga?"

Soot-colored eyes widen in surprise. "What're you doing here?" Sai wanted to know.

"Visiting Sakura, what else?" Neji responded. Sai resisted the urge to slap his forehead. _But of course._

"Visitors aren't allowed." Sai paused. "At least not now, when they're treating her wounds."

"Oh." Neji stopped in his tracks. As though struggling internally, he finally took a seat next to Sai on one of the red chairs in the white-painted corridor.

"You… you know Sakura was…" Sai hesitated. "Was crushing on you, right?"

"Crush?" Neji sneered. "No, but I knew of her _infatuation_."

"Excuse me?"

"The feelings were disillusioned." He averted his gaze away from the angered painter. "… And never returned."

"You bastard…" Sai gritted his teeth, standing up, grabbed hold of the collar of Neji's shirt, pulling him into a standing position as well.

"Because," Neji's somewhat forced smirk widened, "she never loved me in the first place. She was in love with somebody else."

Sai let go of Neji. "… Uchiha Sasuke," he murmured through his gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill you."

* * *

_Sakura's POV_

"Bye, Sakura-chaaan!"

She smiled briefly as she waved a farewell at the blonde, returning to his home – if you could call it a home. The orphan lived alone, though he was underage; but nobody cared to report it, because as people saw it, he'd be better off being adopted, and they wouldn't want that. After all his parents had done before committing suicide, they weren't going to let go of their son so easily.

How I had got to know this without even being told, I had no idea. But suddenly, all kinds of information just rushed to me – that we were both bullied, that he was the one to talk to me first, that he and Uchiha-san hated each other…

The thoughts of the former me seemed to flow into my mind as we neared what was _my _– her – home, the school day had seemed pretty well. Ino, or Ino-pig, as I used to refer to her, had been kind of a nuisance because she had tried to get Uchiha-san's attention by loudly criticizing me, but then I had played with Uzumaki-san and spied on Uchiha-san slightly with the other girls…

She shuddered as she came to a halt in front of the house I used to live in. A drunken, stifled roar could be heard from within, and whether it was out of anger or happiness was hard to tell – she had to find out soon anyway. Not that it mattered. She'd get beaten up either way.

As her hand rested on the garden fence's low door – barely reaching her chest – to push it open, she froze as she heard a familiar scream. Twirling around, she stared wide-eyed at the source of the noise: Uchiha-san's house! I could feel a shiver going down my own spine. _What was happening in there?_

Sounds that sounded like somebody hitting somebody else could be heard as the screams continued to sound, as a woman shrieked: "No! No! Stop! Please… please… STOP! No!" The hitting didn't stop, but it didn't seem like it was the woman who was being hit, as the other scream – belonging to Uchiha-san, I presumed as I felt panic arise – continued.

Soon, the woman's voice started to ramble on by itself: "Le… leave me alone… n… no… the darkness… no… stop… I… don't… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH –"

I felt my entire body stiffen in pure fear; during my time as a psychiatrist, I had never heard such a bloodcurdling scream, such a pained, suppressed fright – this woman was clearly suffering from some sort of illness that made her relive past events by seeing things that reminded her – as she started sobbing wildly, the other scream still continuing, the other still hitting…

"STOP! I ORDER YOU TO STOP! ITACHI!" a male's voice bellowed furiously. "AND SASUKE! IS THIS HOW I TAUGHT YOU? IS IT?" A loud slap could be heard as the woman whimpered loudly, Uchiha-san's scream finally stopping. And then…

"AND DON'T YOU COME BACK BEFORE YOU'VE LEARNT YOUR LESSON!" the voice boomed again as Uchiha-san was thrown out, his body covered in bruises and injuries, his cheek still burning from the slap, as he rolled around slightly on the lawn, lying on the garden path as I glimpsed a wildly sobbing woman behind the man whom had thrown him out – a brown-haired, tall man…

I felt petrified – and it seemed like the past me felt the same as well, because she only stared, wide-eyed, at Uchiha-san, whom struggled to get up, and then shot a nasty glare at her when he noticed her presence, snarling: "So, had a nice time eavesdropping? Going to take a picture and show the others in school what's become of the prestigious Uchiha Sasuke? Eh?!"

His voice was bitter, and the tone was filled with menace; yet she didn't as much as quiver… only stare, with her large, sparkling green eyes.

"I…," she started weakly, but was rudely cut off again:

"Just leave me alone!"

And with those words, he turned on his heel and stomped away. She proceeded to follow him, but then, a familiar sentence echoed in her thoughts – and in mine as well:

_**He **__is waiting for you. Don't make him wait._

She shivered, looking distressed as she was apparently torn between two choices. At last, she reluctantly turned away from the direction Uchiha-san had gone, and slowly walked into the house.

As she slowly took off her shoes and her coat, a familiar figure staggered into view, squinting at her with something in his hand. I only stifled a gasp, but the past me didn't look surprised at all, only the slightest frightened.

_A knife._

"I've been waiting for you… little princess," he breathed, his eyes still squinting as though he was trying to focus on where she was. "Welcome home."

Only her voice betrayed her, and mine, mutual feelings as it shook. "I'm home."

_End Sakura's POV_

* * *

"You're…" Sasuke trailed off.

"Ino, Yamanaka Ino. Already forgotten?" She fought to keep smiling as the door closed behind them, engulfing them in the half-darkness thanks to the lamp that hung far overhead.

"…" He didn't respond. But she knew he hadn't… after all, she _was _Sakura's best friend.

"Where's Sakura?" he instead wanted to know, deep onyx meeting pale sapphire.

"In the hospital," she promptly answered, her voice devoid out of any emotion; it was soft, and shaking just the slightest, but that was all. She didn't dare to show any other emotion, afraid to let it all out at once if she did.

"… She still hasn't woken up," he said. It was more of a statement than a question, as though he wanted her to prove him wrong.

"Yeah…" Ino eyed the countless, deep marks of his self-damaging on his arms and face. "Are you… okay…?" she wondered cautiously.

He followed her gaze, and shrugged indifferently as reply.

"Sakura wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," she commented, pressing back tears. _Seven years. Seven long years. And nothing has changed at all…_

He flinched, and then laughed the same hollow laugh Naruto had laughed before. "You haven't changed at all."

"Maybe…" She smiled slightly. "At least, I know there's somebody waiting for me now."

"Good for you."

But he didn't sound like he meant it.

"Maybe you should return, then."

"You know…" She hesitated. "… she really tries."

"What?" Sasuke snapped, impatient for her to leave.

"… She really tries to remember you."

* * *

_Sakura's POV_

The rain was falling.

Large, fat raindrops smattered against my dirty window as the former me gazed out of it, a look of worry adorning her face. I knew who she was worrying about.

A picture emerged into our mutual mind; a picture of the raged Uchiha-san, glaring at her venomously before stomping off, unable to walk straight due to some injury on his left leg.

"Sasuke-kun…," she murmured quietly for herself, as she looked down at her homework – maths – before finally shaking her head and tiptoeing to her door. Pressing her ear against it, I could also hear the large snores from the bedroom next-door. She put her hand on the doorhandle, and pressing it down, she winced.

A shot of pain appeared in my left arm as well as hers, and we both clutched it with our right hands; and then, she gently got out into the hall, silently walking down the stairs before getting what looked like a first aid kit from the kitchen and walked out into the rainy darkness, only lit by the golden street lamps, giving the impression that there were people lurking everywhere.

She headed hurriedly off unto a familiar path – the way to the cherry blossom park – and as she reached it, she let out a sigh of relief. On the bench she and Uchiha-san had sat on earlier in my previous flashback, sat Uchiha-san, apparently staring intently at nothingness. She approached him much more calmly, and when she finally reached him, her – my – voice softly called out:

"Sasuke-kun."

He turned in alarm, and seeing her, he narrowed his eyes. "What're you doing here?" he spat as she came closer, still holding the first aid kit. As he saw what she was holding, he made a hissing noise that sounded like an angry cat. "I don't need your help."

"You should be more careful," she instead says. "Your wounds will be infected."

"I don't give a damn about my wounds," Uchiha-san snapped. "What do you know, anyway? Leave me alone!" he added, pushing her away slightly as she approached. She winced, and fell onto the ground. I felt a surge of pain again, and we both clutched our arms with a _pained_ grimace, until Uchiha-san at last arose, irritation evident in his face, slapping her hand away to investigate the wound. As he rolled up her sleeve, his eyes widened in astonishment.

There were several deep, fresh cuts – evidently from the knife _he _had been holding, the gashes forming some strange pattern that formed a word.

"'Light'?"

She pulled her arm away from him, not looking into his eyes. She stuttered swiftly: "O-on my way h-home, I m-met a gang and… and they attacked me and…"

"Liar." He narrowed his eyes again. "You always walk with Uzumaki. He'd have stayed with you if you had been attacked."

She bit her lip, blushing.

"It's your father, isn't it?" he continued, wearing a strange face expression that didn't suggest of sympathy at all – just some strange, bitter anger. "I've seen him."

"I know more than you think, Sasuke-kun," she instead replied, eyes filled with tears. "But at least, you're not alone, right?"

"… Idiot," he muttered, dragging her up and firmly pushing her down onto the bench into a sitting position as he opened the first aid kit. "You're the one not being careful. How annoying."

_End Sakura's POV_

* * *

"What do you mean?" he demanded to know, growling the words dangerously.

"Sakura. The doctor says that thankfully, her wounds aren't that deep, but it's the injury to her brain that keeps her comatose. But it there might be a chance that since she has had amnesia before, she might gain her memories back now." She became quiet, but continued once more: "So what she's really doing now is… trying to remember _you_."

"….."

They stared at each other intently; Ino with some sort of strange determination, Sasuke with a piercing half-glare. Then, Ino finally approached the door again. "I'm going to leave now, Sasuke-kun."

"…."

And only when she had left, when her echoing steps had disappeared, did he allow himself to break down and do something he hadn't done for seven long years – or maybe longer. Uchiha Sasuke, famed psychopath who had caused six psychiatrists' downfall, broke down and cried.

* * *

_Sakura's POV_

"Whaaaaat?!"

Uzumaki-san's eyes became as wide as saucers as he pointed in disbelief at the figure standing underneath the sakura tree, even though it wasn't blooming.

"YOU!" he exclaimed, still shocked to the very core.

"Hn."

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" The younger me started to run towards them, beaming. "You didn't wait too long, did you?"

"You're late," Uchiha-san – or Sasuke-kun – said with slight irritation.

"Wha –" Uzumaki-san's – or Naruto's – eyes became even bigger, however that was possible. "You… what… Sakura-chan, what is _he _doing here?!"

"Waiting for me, of course!" she smiled.

"_Whaaaat_?!"

"C'mon, let's go!"

_Having somebody waiting for you…._

"B-but… Sakura-chan…"

… _somebody precious…_

"Naruto, are you coming or not? We'll be leaving without you!"

… _somebody you care for…_

"AAAH! WAAAAIT, SAKURA-CHAAN!"

… _somebody who cares for you…_

"Idiot! Don't be so noisy!"

… _isn't that what we all want?_

"You're _both_ annoying."

_That's why I'm waiting for you too._

_End Sakura's POV_

* * *

"… Hi. How is she?"

Sai shook his head as he refused to meet the blonde's hopeful gaze. "Where's Shikamaru?" he instead asked.

"Oh… he had to leave. Parent-teacher meeting or something…" She tilted her head somewhat curiously. "Shouldn't you be at work, too?"

"I took the day off."

"Oh…"

Silence. Then, "Don't worry. She'll wake up."

Sai looked up, surprised at the remark. _Is she comforting me?_

As he made the mistake to look into her eyes, he realized she wasn't. She was making a statement.

"After all, Sasuke-kun's waiting for her. And she has never liked to keep him waiting."

Sai's lips curled upwards into an empty smile. "I guess."

* * *

Okay. Please don't yell at me. Or kill me.

... I think I might go into hiding. ;.;

So I know this is a really, REALLY late update, and it's pretty lame, too, but please review? I know, it's a frickin' miracle I updated, I was supposed to have updated this ages ago, but my sister broke my goddamn USB, which means that the entire Fear of the Light plot summary thing died with it. I know. And the coming chapters, too. But I found this on my really, really dusty extra-USB, so I decided I should post it. I'm currently now hunting for the rest of the chapters, to see if I've actually saved them somewhere, or if they're as doomed as the plot summary.

If this will ever be finished? Don't ask. I don't know. Hopefully, it will.

Until then, review, please?


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